Ducky's Pain
by Batwoman
Summary: When the NCIS team is called out to investigate the death of young woman, Ducky has an unusual reaction. Suddenly, the kindly gentleman the team knew has disappeared, replaced by a man with a different accent and attitude, a man who is friends with U.N.C.L.E. agents. With the help of U.N.C.L.E., Ducky works to take care of something that should have been done years ago.
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Ducky's Pain  
**Author: ** Batwoman  
**Rating: **T rating will go up for future chapters, this is not one for the kiddies, gen/het

**Feedback: **always welcome. : )

**Archived**: ,

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything other than this story idea and the original characters. I'm po' and broke, so don' sue me.

**Author's Notes:** This is set during the season of secrets, was it season 5? Supposidly everyone had a secret, even before they revealed Ducky's secret (which wasn't a secret, it was obvious why he was mad at Gibbs), I came up with this idea. This was originally published in a zine but my publisher passed away earlier this year; and after going back and forth about posting this online for over a year, I finally decided to go through with it. This is a crossover with the Man from U.N.C.L.E., but you don't need to have actually seen the show to follow along. Enjoy!

_Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape. -Charles Dickens_

**Oceana Naval Air Station**

Early Tuesday morning found Thompson making his rounds on patrol. It was a cool day in November; the colorful leaves blanketed the ground like a crazy quilt. He was on the outskirts of the base, about to turn back, when he spotted the body. He cautiously walked towards it, being careful where he stepped. Then he realized something else was there. Upon seeing the note attached to the body he whipped out his cell phone and dialed NCIS.

Gibbs ducked under the crime scene tape making his way towards his team. "What do you have?" he asked no one in particular.

"Female body, no ID," DiNozzo relayed.

"There's no blood anywhere around here, looks like she was killed some place else and her body dumped here." Ziva added.

"Who found the body?" Gibbs asked.

"I did," Thompson replied as he stepped forward.

"Have you seen her before?" Gibbs questioned.

"No sir, I was on patrol when I spotted the body. I called you after reading the note," he explained.

"Boss," Tony said, motioning for Gibbs to look at the note.

Gibbs got a sinking feeling when he read the note. "Where is he?" he asked.

"Where's who, Jethro?" came the voice of Ducky.

Gibbs turned around to face his old friend. "You, Ducky," he replied after a brief pause.

Ducky eyed Gibbs for a moment before Gibbs nodded towards the body. Ducky spotted it quickly and stepped up for a closer look. "Doctor Donald Mallard" the note read. He turned to Gibbs who had been watching him questioningly. Ducky shrugged, unsure what to make of the note. He was a medical examiner; save for the man out for revenge with his demented mother, he had no enemies.

"Why would he write Ducky's name like that? With quotes around it?" Ziva asked.

"Do you have a name for this woman?" Ducky asked, not sure what to make of the note.

"No ID, Ducky," DiNozzo replied.

The body was tied to a large X, spread-eagled. The X was rigged to hang at an angle from a tree. Her head hung down, hair covering her face. "Well, let's have a look at her face," Ducky said, kneeling down to brush her strawberry blonde hair away from her face. "Oh my God!" he gasped, pulling his hands back as if they had touched a live wire.

"Do you know her, Duck?" Gibbs asked at the unusual reaction.

"Take her down," the Medical Examiner ordered. As the others stood unmoving, Ducky growled "NOW!"

Gibbs motioned for the team to move quickly as he followed Ducky. "Who is she?"

Ducky couldn't speak at first, his emotions threatening to get the better of him. He took a deep cleansing breath before answering, "Anna Donner."

"Is she a friend of yours?"

"Something like that," the older man evasively said.

The men silently waited as the rest of the team placed the X on the ground. When they finished, Tony walked up to the men and quietly said, "Uh, boss."

Gibbs turned to see the woman was now lying on the ground. Tony, Ziva, McGee and Palmer watched Ducky closely. They'd never seen the older man like this before. Each member of the team was concerned about him.

It took Ducky a few minutes to regain his composure. Finally able to face the others he turned to walk back to the body.

Ducky walked slowly trying to delay the inevitable. He carefully knelt down beside the body and Palmer placed his case next to Ducky. Ducky reached into his bag for the thermometer. He mechanically inserted the thermometer into her liver. "She's been dead around six hours," he said after making mental calculations. He had avoided looking at her face, unable to handle it. He lifted himself from the ground refusing to spare a glance at the body. "Bring her back to the morgue," he instructed, walking back to the truck as fast as he could.

Ducky sat in the truck waiting to go back to headquarters. He had to tell Anna's mother but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't bear to do that to her. Palmer quietly slid behind the wheel, turning the key in the ignition.

Back at headquarters Ducky helped Palmer place the body bag on a slab, never saying a word. "Leave her, Mr. Palmer," he said as he started toward the elevator, "I have something I have to do."

"All right, Doctor," he quietly replied.

Ducky nearly collided with Gibbs as he stepped onto the elevator. "Where are you going?" Gibbs queried.

"I have something to do," he replied.

"What about the autopsy?"

"That can wait. I need to take care of something before I can get back to Anna."

The rest of the ride up was silent. Gibbs decided it was best to follow Ducky before asking any further questions. He stayed a respectable distance behind watching as Ducky made his way to MTAC. Once again Gibbs asked, "Where are you going?"

"Where does it look like I'm going?" Ducky snapped. He leaned down for the scanner.

Gibbs was surprised to find the door opening to the Medical Examiner. "How did you gain access to MTAC?"

"There's a lot about me you don't know," he replied in a cold tone. He stood in the middle of the room contemplating his next move. "Everyone out," he ordered.

The occupants of the room turned to face the Medical Examiner. When they didn't move he repeated, "Did I stutter? I said out!"

Not wanting to take any chances with the unexpected guest, the room quickly emptied save for Gibbs and the director. Jenny sat straight up in her chair at the sight of the Medical Examiner, surprised to see him in MTAC. "Ducky what's going on?" Jenny asked.

Ignoring her, he went straight for the controls, setting up a secure channel with U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters New York. Gibbs pulled the Director aside and spoke quietly. "The call we were just on was the body of someone he knows."

"But what is he doing in here?" she asked.

"I don't know. I also don't know how he has access to MTAC," Gibbs replied.

"What? You mean he gained access to MTAC on his own?" Jen replied**. **

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Gibbs said.

"You failed," Ducky said the instant the face of an older man appeared on the monitor in front of him.

"What?" was the confused reply.

"You failed! Your team failed," he spat.

"What are you talking about? My team hasn't failed me once. I assigned the best team on this mission," the brunet replied.

"Then why is my daughter laying in a body bag in my morgue?" Ducky replied, anger radiating from him.

"What?" Napoleon Solo gasped. "How?" he asked, shocked.

"Anya's dead, Napoleon - and you and I both know who's responsible for this. April and I left U.N.C.L.E. to keep them safe. I left them to be sure and you've had them under protection, but she's dead."

"Illya, I'm so sorry," he replied. "The last time the team checked in everything was fine. They're not due to check in for another day."

"There's the problem, team was being watched, just as the base she was dumped at was being watched. They've had years to plan this and they took their time monitoring your team closely. I thought you of all people would be able to keep my family safe."

Gibbs and Jenny stood in the back listening to the exchange. "Illya?" they said in unison. Deciding it would be best to wait until the call was over to talk to him, Gibbs and Jenny sat down, listened and learned.

"How am I going to tell April?" Ducky asked.

"I don't know," Napoleon quietly replied.

"I'm going after them. I want them to pay for what they did. I've been hiding for too long**;** I can't hide out any longer. I won't lose Nick to them. I'm going regardless of what you," he turned to Gibbs and Jenny, "or anyone says. It's something I should have done a long time ago," he said, turning back to face Napoleon.

"I'm sure April will want to join you," Napoleon said.

"She was the best female agent we had and she's their mother - of course she'll want to go."

"I'll bring everything we'll need. Also, I'll call Mark; I'm sure he'll want in on this. Don't worry about Mrs. Waverly; I'll send someone to collect her. She'll be better off some place else right now. I'll be there soon, partner," he said as he ended the transmission.

The room fell silent. Ducky remained facing the monitors waiting for the pair in the back to ask the many questions on their minds. When they remained silent instead, he told his story. "As you've heard, my real name is Illya Nickovetch Kuryakin. Napoleon was my partner when I worked for the U.N.C.L.E. April was the first female agent in section 2. She's my wife; Mark was her partner. Mark, April, Napoleon and I worked hard at taking down Thrush. The four of us were unstoppable until we came across Vladimir Romanov. He made Hitler look like Gandhi. We fought him, no matter what he did to us. His threats meant the same to us as any other Thrush threat.

"After April found out she was pregnant we saw how dangerous and determined Romanov really was. We took his threats more seriously after that. April and I thought it would be best if we disappeared. The baby would be safer that way."

"That baby was Anya?" Jen asked.

He nodded his head, not ready to face his friends yet. "After she was born, April and I could only stay in hiding for so long. We agreed that it would be best if I left. She could go on with her life raising Anya, change her appearance even, and no one would know who she really was. They were looking for the two of us; they didn't know about the baby. I stayed as close as I could for the baby's sake as much as for our sake. Later we had a second child and I stayed longer. Finally, our natural paranoia got the better of us and we once again separated. Eventually Napoleon assigned a team to guard the family while I was gone."

"You would go back to visit?" Gibbs asked.

"They were my family and I love them. I couldn't stay away forever. I had to see them on occasion, because I missed them dearly. I grew up in orphanages in the Soviet Union. I couldn't let my children grow up not knowing me." Finally ready to face his friends, Ducky turned around as he continued, "Illya Nickovetch Kuryakin disappeared and Donald Mallard appeared. It wasn't hard with U.N.C.L.E.'s resources, of course," he shrugged.

"What about your access to MTAC?" Gibbs asked.

"That was something Napoleon suggested. My access to secure parts of this building, places a medical examiner normally wouldn't have access to, are buried deep in the network. There are a handful of people that know where that is and not even McGee, Abby and a squad of IT personnel could find it. This was done in case ofemergency. Any contact I've had with Napoleon has been in other ways. This is the first time I've contacted him here." He spread his hands indicating the room they were in.

"How do you know how to use the communications console?" Gibbs questioned.

"It's something I did countless times when I was an U.N.C.L.E. agent." He shrugged.

"Who's Mrs. Waverly?" Jen asked.

"Mrs. Waverly was married to our boss, Alexander Waverly. She came to live with me as part of my cover years ago."

Suddenly feeling the weight of the world upon him, Ducky walked to the chairs and sank down next to Jen. He dug out his cell phone and dialed April's number. She answered on the second ring. Ducky did his best to keep his voice steady, "April, I need to see you. Bring Nick."

**Minneapolis, Minnesota**

"Why, what's going on?" she asked.

"We need to talk."

"What about Anna?"

"I'll take care of her."

April's heart sank; it hadn't been the easiest thing living in hiding, not living under the same roof. She occasionally worried he might want a divorce. "I'll be on the next flight. I'll call Nick; he might not be able to get out so soon though."

"That's ok, just go to the house. I'll be there as soon as I can. If you get there first, call me."

"OK."

"_Aprel'… ya l'ubl'u Vas_," he said.

She smiled, "I love you too." That simple little phrase helped ease her mind. He always did have a way of doing that. She set about securing travel arrangements from Minnesota to DC and calling their son.

"We have to tell the others," Gibbs said.

"No, the less they know, the safer they are."

"Ducky, despite what I just heard, I won't let you walk out of here and to your death."

"Jethro, this isn't NCIS business. I know who killed my daughter - there is no need for an investigation. This is U.N.C.L.E. business, stay out of it."

"I can't, and the team can't. We're a family and no one will let you leave without help. They deserve to know what's going on."

Ducky was contemplating Gibbs' words when his phone rang.

"Don't even think about performing the autopsy, I'm bringing in a medical examiner," Napoleon said, not waiting for a reply before he hung up.

"Ok," he replied quietly to the empty phone. Ducky slowly stood from the chair and led the group out of the room.

In the bullpen the team sat at their desks, nervously watching the door to MTAC as if they could see inside the room. Abby, full of nervous energy, was in constant motion while they waited. As soon as the trio descended the stairs, Abby ran to Ducky, throwing her arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry," she said.

He wrapped his arms around her and murmured, "Thank you."

"Guys, we need to talk," Gibbs said, addressing the team.

Ducky pulled away from the hug and said, "Not here." He led the team to the elevator, taking it down to the morgue.

In the morgue Ducky sat as he repeated the story he'd told earlier. Abby sat next to him, snuggling, with her head resting on his shoulder. "They called us the fantastic four; Mark, April, Napoleon and I were a force to be reckoned with. We were unstoppable; no Thrush installation was safe. We were on a mission to shut down Thrush once and for all. The only thing stopping us was Vladimir Romanov. April, Mark and I left after one particular encounter with Romanov." As the explanation continued, Napoleon walked into the morgue followed by Doctor Robbins.

"Illya," he said, waiting for his old partner to respond.

Ducky glared at Napoleon; he stalked across the room and punched Napoleon across the jaw, following which he grabbed Napoleon's lapels and pulled him close. Gibbs stepped forward to stop the impending fight but was stopped by Napoleon's raised hand. "What happened?" Ducky growled.

"I sent a team to investigate. They should call soon."

"Mr. Palmer, assist in the autopsy," Ducky said, giving Napoleon a pointed look. Feeling like he was quickly losing his resolve, Ducky let go of the lapels and led Napoleon to the locker room.

Napoleon followed his old partner. He was still good looking in his old age, though he relied on a cane to help him get around. The cane was more like a walking stick, elegant and debonair just like its owner. Hidden under his tailored suit were countless scars at the hands of countless enemies. He watched as Illya sank into the chair, burying his head into his hands.

"She had nothing to do with our war; she was an innocent. My baby's dead," he said in a shaky voice.

Napoleon Solo watched as his old partner slowly began to lose his composure. It wasn't often; he could count on one hand the number of times that happened in all the years he'd known Illya. He wanted to say something but knew he couldn't comfort his friend. Nothing he could say would ease the pain of a father losing a child. Not finding any words, he merely remained silent, leaning against the lockers to ease his aching leg.

Time seemed to stand still as the minutes slowly ticked by. When his phone rang Napoleon snatched it before the first ring ended. "Solo." He was silent as he listened to the initial field report. "Upload the files, I want to take a look at what you have now," he said just before snapping the phone closed.

Ducky looked up, a sliver of hope gleaming in his eye. "The team watching Anya was killed," Napoleon said. "Come on, I need to get to a terminal. I want to see what it looks like. Where's the best place to go?"

"Abby's lab," Ducky said as he slowly stood, taking a deep cleansing breath as he led his partner out the door. The team looked up as the men walked into the autopsy.

"Where are you going?" Gibbs asked.

"To Abby's lab," Ducky replied.

"I have a preliminary on what happened to the team I assigned to watch Anya," Napoleon supplied.

"We're coming with . . ." Gibbs said.

"No," Ducky said. "The images will be very graphic, worse than anything any of you have seen."

"Ducky, we agreed to do whatever it took to help you. We're coming," Abby said, determined.

"Abigail, the man responsible for this is a monster. He thrives in giving people nightmares; he's a master at it. You don't need to see this."

"We can handle it, Ducky," Ziva said.

Ducky sighed in resignation; they weren't going to let him go without a fight. "Let's go," he said, turning to lead the troupe to the lab.

In the lab Napoleon sat behind Abby's computer logging onto the U.N.C.L.E. servers for the files the Minnesota team had uploaded. When the files finished downloading the images flashed onto the plasma. The first few images were the mildest of the bunch. However, the next image had the NCIS agents squirming in their spots. From there on, each one was worse.

McGee watched on, feeling queasy. He wasn't sure how many more photos he could view. Abby quickly turned around, unable to view anymore. Incapable to watch any longer, McGee rushed out of the lab in search of fresh air. Tony watched on, fighting the bile threatening to rise. Gibbs and Ziva watched stone-faced, refusing to show any emotions they may have been feeling.

Watching on, Napoleon and Illya found the images all too familiar to them. The partners were quickly reminded why they had made the decisions they did over thirty years ago. Illya was thankful his daughter was spared the nightmarish death her security team received. After viewing the last picture, Napoleon returned the plasma to a black screen. The room remained silent, no one knowing what to say.

The ringing of Illya's cell phone broke through the silence. He glanced at the number and took a deep breath. "Hello."

"I'm home. Where's Mrs. Waverly?"

"She's…out. April, I'll be there soon. I'm still at work. Did you get a hold of Nick?"

"Yes, he's working a double. He won't be able to leave until late tonight."

Ducky nodded, he knew those days all too well. Saying his goodbyes he snapped the phone closed and replaced it into his pocket.

"Come on, I'll drive you home," Napoleon said.

"I'll be fine," he said quietly.

"Ducky, you shouldn't drive; let someone take you home," Gibbs said.

"Jethro, I'll be fine. Really."

Napoleon remembered that stubborn Slavic streak all too well. "I'll follow him," Napoleon replied.

Gibbs nodded in understanding. "I'll come by later with the autopsy report," Gibbs offered.

"Thank you," Ducky replied as he turned to leave.

Napoleon followed Illya to his car, making sure he was all right to drive. "A Morgan?" he said, eyebrows raised in appreciation.

"It suits Ducky," Illya said mechanically.

Napoleon worried about his friend; in all the years he'd known him Illya had never referred to himself in the third person. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive?"

Illya briefly paused, staring at the ground. Without looking at his friend, he handed the keys to Napoleon after unlocking the passenger door. Not saying a further word, Napoleon walked around the car and slid behind the wheel. When the pair arrived at the house, Illya wearily climbed the steps of the front porch, his keys threatening to fall from his sweaty hand. After unlocking the door, he stood with his hand on the knob, preparing himself to break the news to his wife. Napoleon stood back allowing his friend the room he needed.

Illya walked into the house calling out to April. April ran to the foyer, fear gripping her heart. "Something's wrong isn't it? I've been calling Anya but she won't pick up."

"April, come here," he said, motioning to the lounge.

"No, tell me what's going on," she said, a slight quiver in her voice. Just then, Napoleon walked in looking solemn. A chill ran down her spine at the sight of her old friend, and she said, "What happened to her?"

"April," Napoleon said quietly.

"What have you done?" she said, reaching for him only to be stopped by her husband.

"April, please," Illya said holding her tight.

"She's dead, isn't she?"

"April…" Illya murmured.

She fought against his hold, the fight quickly draining out of her as her tears fell. Unable to hold his grief at bay any longer he let his tears fall, joining her sobs. The couple slowly made their way to the floor where they sat and grieved.

Napoleon watched on in silence. Deciding to allow his friends to grieve in private, he walked to the kitchen to sit down and make some calls.

Later that night Gibbs arrived at the house followed closely by Abby. The pair walked up to the house in silence. Gibbs carried a folder containing the results of the autopsy, while Abby carried four bags of groceries. "I thought Ducky could use something to eat," she feebly offered as Gibbs rang the doorbell.

Napoleon walked to the door pulling the curtain aside to see who had come calling. Finding Abby and Gibbs, he opened the door letting them in. "Come in," he said.

"Where's Ducky?" Gibbs asked.

"Upstairs; he'll be down soon," he quietly replied.

"I'm going to make dinner," Abby murmured, walking to the kitchen.

Illya sat on the edge of the bed brushing his fingers along April's cheek. He hated giving her a sedative, even a mild one, but knew she needed it. When the doorbell rang he remained seated, trusting Napoleon to answer the door. He listened to the voices; Gibbs had arrived with the autopsy report. Illya knew he couldn't put the inevitable off any longer. Slowly and carefully he rose from the bed, padding to the bathroom to splash water on his face.

Illya walked through the house looking for his guests. He found the group in the kitchen. "Ducky," Gibbs said as the older man walked into the room.

Abby whipped around and ran to Ducky, throwing her arms around his neck. "I'm making dinner. I thought you could use something to eat," she murmured.

"Thank you, Abigail," he said returning her hug. He reluctantly pulled away from the embrace and sank in a nearby chair.

"You don't have to do this right now," Gibbs said.

"Yes I do. If I don't I'll wonder all night," Illya replied, reaching for the folder. The room fell silent save for the sounds of the food preparation.

Napoleon watched his old partner like a hawk, worried. No parent should bury their child, much less read the autopsy report of their child. Illya clenched his jaw as he read. His hand shook slightly as he flipped through the file. Napoleon lifted himself from the table and left the room. He returned a minute later with a glass of scotch. He placed the glass within reach of the Russian.

When he finished with the report, Illya closed the folder and laid it on the table. He snatched the glass and took a good hearty drink. He held the glass in his hand, pressing the glass against his lips.

"Illya," Napoleon ventured.

"She died of exsanguinations. He burned the words 'did you really think you were safe' across her abdomen.'" He paused briefly to look at Napoleon. "She was pregnant."

Napoleon closed his eyes, "I'm sorry," he murmured. Suddenly they were reliving the nightmare that had caused the four friends to scatter to the ends of the earth.

"We need to check her house, see if there's anything there to help us," Illya said.

"We'll go," Gibbs offered.

"She lived in Lilydale, Minnesota, I can have a team there in minutes," Napoleon said.

"That may be but Ducky's a part of my team. We're going," Gibbs said.

Napoleon turned to Illya looking for answers. He nodded slightly and Napoleon replied, "All right. I'm giving you access to the U.N.C.L.E. jet, take anything you need and our lab will process any evidence you find."

"Thanks," Gibbs said.

"She has a dog: his name is Ducky," the M.E. mentioned. Gibbs arched an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"It was her idea; she said it was a connection between us."

"I'll have a team waiting to take you to her house in Minnesota. They'll be your liaisons to U.N.C.L.E. while you're there. They'll have all the information you'll need, including Anya's employer," Napoleon provided. "The plane is waiting at National; you shouldn't have any trouble going through security."

As Gibbs stood to leave, Illya called his name. "Jethro, have Timothy call me when you arrive at the house. There's something I need him to do."

"Sure thing, Duck," he replied as he continued to walk out.

Abby walked up to Ducky placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, "You should eat something." She placed a plate laden with food in front of him.

"Thank you," he said, accepting the food.

"Would you like some too, Mr. Solo? I made plenty."

"Yes, thank you. And please, call me Napoleon."

"OK," she replied as she loaded a plate of food for him.

"Abby, would you mind setting up the equipment I brought? Everything is in the dining room."

"You can set up in there as well," Ducky offered.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes," Ducky replied.

After placing Napoleon's plate on the table, Abby left the room to set up the computers. "Do you think Romanov knew about the baby?" Napoleon asked.

Illya thought it over a moment. "If he didn't his choice of picking Anya was coincidental. He's not one for coincidence. He knew."

Napoleon nodded. Vladimir Romanov knew about Anya's baby just as he'd known about Napoleon's wife Michelle's baby.

"How's your leg?" The words penetrated his thoughts.

"Some days it aches more than others," he replied. "How's April?"

"Resting. I hate giving her a sedative but she's going to need her rest. How are the twins?"

Napoleon felt a twinge of guilt at the question. His children were safe while Illya had just lost not only his daughter, but his unborn grandchild as well. Then again, it was the torture and murder of his own wife and unborn child that'd made the four agents realize just how dangerous Vladimir Romanov was. "They're safe. I don't think Romanov found them."

"That or he's still focusing his attentions on April and I." Napoleon nodded, that wouldn't surprise him. "How long has it been since you've seen them?"

"I visited them last year," he sighed. "Maybe one day they can live freely."

"All of us will live freely, old friend."

"Mark's going to stop by Anya's house before he comes here if you want to send anything back with him," Napoleon said.

"Yes, her laptop and the contents of her safe along with the dog. I'll have McGee pack everything up and give it to Mark."

"Why bring back the items in her safe? You think she has something in there that might help us?"

"No, that's where she has personal effects. Pictures of me, cards, things like that. The safe is hidden — her husband didn't even know about it."

"He didn't know you're still alive?"

"No. We decided it was the best thing for their safety. I did meet him though."

"Let me guess: you put on some disguise and came up with an elaborate character," Napoleon teased.

Illya gave him a small smile; back when he was an agent he was known as a master of disguise. When Anya began dating Richard she had wished he could meet her new beau. However, for the children's safety, April and Illya agreed it would be best if the world thought April were a widow. He and April hated the time apart but they had to do what was best for their children.

He hated being away from his children; it broke his heart missing out on seeing them grow up. Illya couldn't stay away for good though; he often disguised himself in order to attend any accomplishments his schedule would permit. "I was her uncle David from Boston. I would go to Minnesota for a visit when I could, but it wasn't often."  
"What about the wedding?"

Illya smiled at the memory. "She was the most beautiful bride…" he began.

"You better not let April hear you say that," Napoleon teased.

"April doesn't mind me saying that."

"And how much did you have to work at making that up to her?"

Illya gave him a mischievous grin. "Really, Napoleon, you know April as well as I do."  
"You, _tovarishch_, know her better than Mark or I," Napoleon razzed.

Napoleon's teasing paid off; Illya's spirits had been lifted briefly. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Napoleon didn't need an explanation of what his old friend was thanking him for. He knew Illya well enough.

"Everything's set up," Abby said, walking back into the kitchen.

"Thank you," Napoleon replied. "It's hard for me to set that equipment up," he said, motioning to his cane.

"Oh, just admit it, you never were good with computers, Napoleon," Illya teased.

Abby wasn't sure what to make of the teasing and upbeat banter. When Ari killed Kate the mood around the office, and especially with her teammates, was solemn. It took several weeks before their usual lighthearted banter returned. Here Illya sat, teasing his old partner the same day they were called on a case where his daughter's dead body was found. Deciding it was better not to say anything she simply picked up the empty plates and walked to the sink. "Abby, you don't have to do the dishes," Illya said, walking towards her. "I'll clean the kitchen," he offered, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No you don't. You have enough going on. I'm spending the night so I can help you with things like this and the dogs."

"Abby, Nico will be here in a few hours; he can help."

"Ducky, you do enough taking care of your mother. Now you've got more going on. Let me do this. You'll have enough to worry about."

"Let the girl help, _tovarishch_, April and Nico will need you now more than ever."

"I want to help," Abby said, quietly shuffling her feet. She was feeling left out with the team off to Minnesota searching Ann's house while the U.N.C.L.E. lab processed anything they may find. She couldn't go into work; this was too personal for her to concentrate. Ducky was like a grandfather to her and it hurt her to see him in pain over the loss of a loved one. Deciding to cash in some vacation time she'd called in a few favors with the other lab personnel to cover the lab while she was out.

Illya sighed in resignation; they were right of course. "All right," he replied.

She gave him a small smile and a big hug. "You won't regret this." Abby had turned to pack up the leftovers when she had a thought. "Are you going to take some up to April?"

"No, she'll be asleep for the rest of the night," Illya replied.

When Gibbs and his team arrived in Minnesota the local U.N.C.L.E. team had been waiting at the airfield with a van to take them to Anna's house. Conversation in the van was minimal save for quiet comments made here and there. When the teams arrived at the house in Lilydale Gibbs began giving his team orders as they stepped out of the van. "Tony, Ziva, sketch and shoot."

"On it, boss," Tony replied for the two of them.

"McGee," Gibbs said after the others were out of earshot, "call Ducky, he has something he wants you to do."

McGee looked at him confused. "Did he, uh, say what it was?"

"No," Gibbs replied.

"Uh, ok," he said as he walked to the house. McGee dialed Ducky's number. "Ducky, Gibbs said you wanted me to do something," McGee said when Illya answered the phone.

"Yes, I'll need her laptop and the contents of her safe. The safe is hidden in the back of the closet in the master suite. You'll need a security code to get into the safe as well as a password for the laptop."

"Ok, let's see….." he said looking around. "Got her laptop."

"Really? Where is it?"

"Uh, the family room," McGee replied.

Illya was perplexed; Anya wouldn't leave her personal laptop lying around in the open. "Timothy, boot up the laptop and tell me what you find."

This confused McGee; why did Ducky ask him to tell him what files were on the laptop? Deciding there was more to the puzzle, he did as he was told. "Ok, it's there. What am I looking for exactly, Ducky?"

"Did you have to enter a password?"

"Uh, no."

"Tell me what files are on the hard drive."

McGee browsed the files, "Looks like a lot of graphic files, Ducky. Logos, magazine ads…"

"That's her other laptop. She often takes work home and uses her public laptop."

"Public laptop?" he asked, confused.

"She has two identical laptops. One she leaves out and uses for work and casual surfing and general family information. The other one has more detailed information about the family, including information on me. She never leaves that one lying around the house. It's locked up in the safe when not in use."

McGee left the public laptop on the coffee table and went in search of the safe. He jogged up the stairs. "To the left, Timothy," Ducky provided.

"Thanks," McGee quietly replied. He walked into the master suite heading straight for the closet. "Ok, where's the safe?"

"It's at the back of the closet behind her dresses. It's a hidden panel, you'll have to push it in the upper left corner and the panel will pop open."

McGee followed Illya's directions. "Ok, now what?"

"The code i 9."

McGee entered the numbers as instructed and waited. "I'm in," he announced.

Illya breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok, now check the laptop."

"Ok," he replied as he pulled out the computer and booted it up. The seconds slowly ticked by as he waited for a welcome screen. "Done. Now I've got a password request."

"The password is 'ice prince', no spaces. All lower case."

McGee typed in the words and frowned, "That didn't work."

"Damn," Illya sighed. "Try d19a12n1k20u5r1419."

McGee once again did as he was told, "That was it."

"Something was wrong, she wouldn't change the password unless… Shut down the laptop and pack it up along with the contents of the safe. April's old partner Mark should be there soon. Give everything to him and he'll bring it back here.

"Ok," McGee replied as he glanced around for something to use.

"She has a saddle bag style briefcase that she keeps in the bottom of the closet. You should be able to pack everything in there. Whatever doesn't fit pack in a box and hand it all to Mark."

"Ok, Ducky. Is there anything else?"

Illya thought it over a minute. "Just lock up the safe and return the closet to the way you found it. And Timothy… thank you."

"You're welcome, Ducky," he replied.

The pair said their goodbyes and McGee went about packing up the contents of the safe. "Something wrong?" Napoleon asked as Illya snapped the phone closed.

"I don't know. She changed the password on her laptop. She wouldn't have done that unless she thought someone was watching her."

"Did April say anything?"

"No, if she knew or suspected anything she would have called me immediately."

Napoleon nodded his agreement. "That leaves Nico; let's pray Anya talked to him," Illya said.


	2. Chapter 2

A car pulled up outside of Anya's home. Out of it stepped a tall older man who made his way to the front door. "You can't go in there, sir," the U.N.C.L.E. agent guarding the door said.

The man reached into his pants pocket, pulling out an ID case. He flashed his identification and the young agent stood straighter and stammered, "Sorry sir, didn't recognize you. Go right ahead."

The older man smiled and said "Thank you" as he walked through the door. He stood in the foyer taking in the scene around him.

"You can't come in here," Gibbs said, intercepting the visitor.

The older man smiled and flashed his ID. "Where can I find Timothy McGee?" he asked.

Gibbs nodded and said, "Master suite."

Mark threw a thank you over his shoulder as he walked up the stairs. He walked into the master bedroom and said, "Timothy?"

McGee jumped at the sound of the voice as he looked up. "Sorry, force of habit to sneak up on people," Mark said, giving him a smile. "Name's Mark Slate, I'm here to take that package to D.C."

"I'm...uh, almost finished," he replied, packing the last of the items into the satchel.

"Is this everything?" Mark asked.

"Uh, yeah," he replied, handing Mark the bag.

Mark flung the strap over his shoulder and said, "Thanks, mate," as he walked out of the room.

Downstairs, the team was finishing up when Mark walked back into the room. "How's it going in here?" Mark asked.

Gibbs glanced at the former U.N.C.L.E. agent and took a deep breath. "No sign of forced entry but she put up a fight," he said indicating the furniture on its side.

"Good girl," he said with a sad smile. "Where's the dog?"

"Tony took him for a walk. He should be back soon," Gibbs replied.

"How was he when you walked in?"

"Upset," Gibbs replied.

Mark walked into the kitchen and looked around. He spotted the food and water dishes. "We filled them but he won't eat or drink," Ziva provided.

"That doesn't surprise me. He probably witnessed everything. He knows something's wrong," Mark said.

Tony walked back into the house with Ducky in tow. The corgi ran towards Mark, his short tail wagging with renewed vigor. Mark smiled at the corgi and knelt down reaching for the pooch. Ducky ran into his waiting arms. "Are you ready to go home?"

Ducky snuggled into Mark letting out a whimper. "I know, we'll be home soon enough," he said, standing and making his way to the kitchen counter where McGee had placed the dog carrier.

After securing the latch on the carrier, Mark readjusted the bag on his shoulder. He picked up the carrier, taking a peek inside to assure the corgi that everything was going to be all right before walking out of the house. Mark motioned for Gibbs to follow him out, "I want you to look into her husband Richard's death."

"You think his death was related to this?" Gibbs asked.

"I was thinking about it on the flight here and yes. He died in a car accident a couple months ago. Something isn't sitting right with me about it right now. I wouldn't put it past Romanov to arrange the accident," he said as he reached the car.

Gibbs briefly mulled it over; from what little he knew of the situation it sounded plausible to him. "All right. Do you know the details?"

"The local team," he said, nodding to the U.N.C.L.E. agents standing guard at the front door, "can provide you with that information."

Gibbs turned to glance at the agents. "You're not one of them are you?"

"U.N.C.L.E. agent? No, I left with April and Illya. Under the circumstances we still have access though." He gently placed the dog carrier on the backseat. Next he placed the bag on the floor before closing the door. "I'll let you get back to the house," Mark said, holding the driver's door open.

Gibbs watched as Mark drove off before going back to the house. They were almost finished, he thought, tomorrow morning they would divide and conquer. Half the team would talk to Anna's employer while the other half would reopen the case of the accident that caused her husband Richard's death.

Later that night Mark Slate walked into the house in Reston where Doctor Donald Mallard had been living for the past 20 years. "Illya, Napoleon," he called out.

Illya walked to the front door to greet the latest guest. "Mark, it's good to see you."

"I wish it was under better circumstances," he replied as he placed the carrier on the floor.

Illya knelt in front of the carrier to let the corgi out. The other dogs in the house ran to greet their long lost brother. Ducky hesitated, too saddened to come out. Illya reached in to coax the dog out. He gently pulled the pooch out and held him in his arms. Ducky laid his head on Illya's shoulder. "I know," he murmured.

"How's April?" Mark asked.

"She's sleeping," Illya replied as he pushed himself to stand. "Why don't you make yourself at home, I'm going to take this one upstairs," Illya said as he walked toward the stairs.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to Abby," Napoleon said.

Illya carefully opened the door to the master suite. Despite having given his wife a sedative, he didn't want to disturb her. He crept into the room and gently placed the dog on the bed. He watched as Ducky snuggled next to April. Tearing himself away from his wife he quietly snuck out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Illya wearily walked into the kitchen and sank in an empty chair. "How was it?" he asked.

Napoleon took a good long look at his friend; he looked tired. He wanted to say something but knew his stubborn friend would do the opposite of whatever he said. Mark was also tired; the long trip from London to Minnesota then back to D.C. was starting to take its toll on him. He scrubbed his hands over his face as he stifled a yawn. "She was grabbed at home. No sign of forced entry but she did put up a fight," he replied.

"Which means she either knew her kidnapper or it was someone posing as a delivery man or utility worker," Illya said thoughtfully.

"My guess is Ducky witnessed the entire thing," Mark added.

"It wouldn't surprise me, the poor thing," Illya replied.

"Well if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed," Mark said, pushing his chair back.

"Nico will take the room closest to the master, feel free to take one of the others," Illya replied.

"I took the room next to Nico," Napoleon called after the retreating back of his friend. Mark waved a hand in response as he continued to the stairs. "You should get some sleep too, _tovarishch_," Napoleon said after they were alone.

"I can't sleep," he replied.

"Illya, you're no good to them if you're falling asleep where you stand," Napoleon said.

"He's right, Ducky, you need sleep," came the voice of Abby.

"I'm fine Abigail; I'll sleep when I'm tired," he replied. He paused throwing a glance in her direction, "You should get some sleep yourself."

"I, ah, can't sleep," she sheepishly replied.

"Well if you two are going to stay up partying then I'm going to call it a night," Napoleon said lifting himself from his char. "Don't stay up too late kids," he said, walking out of the room.

Abby sat in a chair next to Illya, "I like your friends," she said once Napoleon was out of the room.

Illya gave her a small smile, "They're the best," he quietly replied. "Now tell me Abigail, why can't you sleep?"

She looked down at her hands playing with her fingers. "It was the pictures, wasn't it?" Illya asked. Unable to face him she merely nodded. "Oh Abigail," he murmured, pulling her into his embrace.

She rested her head on his shoulder, "I'm sorry I insisted on seeing them," she quietly replied.

"That's ok," he murmured, planting a kiss on her forehead.

Later that night Abby sat in the dining room chatting with McGee online while the dogs huddled together in the library next to the fire. Illya lounged in the wingback chair with his feet on the ottoman. Anya's computer was on his lap as he snoozed. After comforting Abby he had made a fire and made himself comfortable to go through Anya's laptop searching for clues. What he found instead was a letter she had started writing telling him about the pregnancy. The long day had finally caught up with him and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

A car pulled up to the driveway and a young blond man stepped out. He grabbed a bag from the backseat before walking up the steps to the house. He fished around in his bag for the spare key he'd brought with him. Finding it, he slid it into the lock and opened the door. As he walked through the door he hoped the dogs wouldn't make any noise, waking the house up.

Tyson ran to the visitor as he closed the door. He nudged the man to let him know he was there. The blond looked down and smiled at the dog. He knelt in front of the corgi to pet him, letting his bag slide off his shoulder and onto the floor. "Hi buddy," he whispered. "Where is everyone?"

Tyson looked to his left causing the blond to follow his lead. Nickolai stood and made his way to the upstairs hall closet for a blanket. Finding what he was looking for, he went back to the library and placed it on the floor. He carefully lifted the laptop, placing it on the floor reaching for the blanket next.

Illya woke to find his son kneeling next to him. "Nico," he said quietly.

"Dad, sorry I woke you," he replied.

"That's ok, son," he replied as he sat up.

"Is something going on between you and Mom?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Every time you and Mom are together you're usually locked in your bedroom. Sometimes you never come out."

Illya smiled; it was true. In the thirty-plus years he and April had been married, they had spent about 10 years total together. As hard as it had been on them it was harder on their children. When they were little they hadn't understood why their father couldn't stay with them. As they'd grown older and were told the truth, they'd understood. Even though they understood, they still missed him. He'd missed them too.

His family was his life. The only way he was able to drudge through the years without them was by reminding himself that they were safe.

He put his feet on the floor, "Sit down," he said.

Nico was beginning to worry about what his father was going to say. "Nico," Illya began as Nico sat on the foot stool, "There's no easy way to say this… Anya's dead."

"What? What happened?"

"The man that had been after your mother and me killed her."

Abby had been in the dining room working when she heard voices. Curious, she followed the sound of the voices. She found Ducky in the library talking to what looked like a young version of himself. "Oh sorry," she said, turning to leave.

"Abby wait," Illya said, stopping the young woman. "Come here," he said motioning to her.

"I heard voices and…."

"That's ok. Abby, this is my son Nickolai. Nico, this is Abby."

"She's the lab tech," Nico said. "Dad's told us about you," he explained.

"It's nice to meet you," she replied.

"Still can't sleep?" Illya asked her.

"No," she replied. "You should get some sleep, Ducky."

Nico did his best to hide a yawn but it didn't go unnoticed by his father. "I'm going to go now, and so are you," he said, pointing to Nico. "No arguments. We can talk about this more once you've rested." Illya wearily lifted himself from the chair and waited as his son stood from the ottoman. He placed a hand on Nico's shoulder as they walked out the room.

The next morning April woke to find her husband lying next to her, spooning her. No matter where she lived, it wasn't home unless he was lying in bed with her. Feeling a different weight on her legs, she looked down to find a very sad looking corgi watching her. Her heart ached looking into those eyes; the poor thing knew something happened to his human mommy. She carefully extracted herself from Illya's embrace, hoping not to wake him.

Illya stirred briefly but didn't wake. April breathed a sigh of relief; she had a feeling he hadn't gone to bed until late. Slipping into her robe, she picked up the corgi and carried him out of the room.

When April reached the main floor of the house, she placed the dog down and walked into the library. She picked up the laptop and carried it into the dining room. April was surprised to find a young woman asleep at the table. She carefully placed the laptop on the table and went back to the library for the blanket she had noticed on the chair.

She draped the blanket on the dark haired woman's back, causing her to wake up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," April said.

Abby looked at the older woman, blinking away sleep. "That's ok," she replied. Finally fully awake, she said, "You must be Ducky's wife."

"April, yes," she smiled. "You're Abby right?"

Abby smiled in return. "Yeah."

"He's talked about his friends for years. I only wish I could have met you under better circumstances."

Abby nodded and glanced down. "Who's this little guy?" she said, leaning down to pet April's furry shadow.

April smiled down at the corgi. "This is Ducky," she said as she sat in the chair closest to Abby. "He was Anya's," she added, reaching down to pick him up and place on her lap.

Abby looked at the older woman with amazement. The woman had lost her only daughter the day before and here she was, getting on with her life. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?" April asked.

"Move on the day after your daughter died. When Kate died I was a mess for days and we were just friends. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose my own child."

"It's not easy. I can't let myself dwell on it right now; if I did I wouldn't be of much use to Illya or anyone else. When I was an agent I learned to compartmentalize my life. It's been over 30 years since I was an agent but the man responsible for my baby's death is out there and he's coming after us. I have to bury my grief deep down. I'll have more than enough time to grieve once this is all over." She paused a moment, looking down at the dog. She stroked the corgi's head. "I don't blame Illya or Napoleon, Mark or even U.N.C.L.E. I blame the man responsible for her death. I have no regrets about my time with the organization. Had I not been there I would have never met Illya."

Illya walked into the dinning room during the last sentence. Last night he'd wondered if she blamed any of them for Anya's death. He blamed Napoleon; he would understand if she too placed the blame on his old partner or their former employer. He stood behind her placing his hands on her shoulders.

April reached up and placed her hand over his, giving it a squeeze. April's strength amazed Abby. She had never known a woman like her. "You're a real inspiration," Abby commented.

"Thank you," April said. "Now, I don't know about you but I'm famished. I know I can only hold this one," she said pointing to her husband, "off for so long before he sits in front of the fridge with a fork and knife," April teased.

Abby smiled. "I'll give you a hand," she replied, rising from her chair and walking into the kitchen.

April placed Ducky on the floor before standing from her chair. "Are you implying that I can't wait to eat?" Illya said, placing his hands on April's waist, pulling her towards him.

She smiled as she turned in his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Don't try and deny it."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied innocently.

"Right, you and that son of yours. You seem to have forgotten the endless feedings. He was a cute, cuddly, drooling little stomach that never seemed to fill up."

Illya smiled, he remembered those feedings all too well. He'd loved the times he would take a break from studying to feed Nico. He was still lost in thought when April stole a kiss. "I'm going with you to take care of Romanov once and for all," she said when the kiss ended.

"I never doubted it for a moment," he replied. "Now come on, I'm hungry."

"What else is new?" Napoleon teased, walking into the dining room.

"Where's Tyson when you need him?" Illya quipped.

"Illya, Illya, Illya," April tsked. "I'll just poison him and make it look like natural causes," she smirked.

Napoleon made a sour face, "I should have fired both of you years ago."

"That would have been nice to see since Mr. Waverly was in charge back then," Mark quipped.

"Who asked you?" Napoleon shot back.

April laughed despite herself, "Come on boys, breakfast," she said, leading the troops into the kitchen.

"Yes, Mom," they chorused in unison as they followed her out.

As April and Abby made a big breakfast with enough food to feed the Russian army, Nico stumbled in. The young Kuryakin was tall and slim; he stood a head taller than his parents with hair lighter than his father's. He walked up behind his mother and snaked his arms around her waist, dropping his head on her shoulder. April continued to prepare the food, never missing a beat.

Illya walked to his son and tapped him on the shoulder, "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I smelled food," he mumbled.

Illya looked to his wife. "I told you - he's a walking stomach," she replied.

"You should sleep; you can eat later."

"Wanna eat now," he mumbled, half asleep.

Illya shook his head. "If you refuse to go back to bed then at least take a shower. I think those scrubs are starting to grow on you."

Napoleon tapped Illya on the arm. "This should do it," he said, holding out a cup of coffee for Nico.

Nico smelled the comforting brew and held out his arm, making a fist for an IV. Illya swatted it away and said, "Very funny, now go." Nico sighed in defeat and lumbered off. "Cold water, not hot!" Illya called out at the retreating back of his son. "The last thing we need is you falling asleep in the shower," Illya muttered as he walked back to the table. "You know, I don't think that boy even changed last night," he said.

"Must be hereditary. I seem to remember another blond that came home from a long weekend at the office and fell face first into bed. Didn't change, didn't even take off his holster," April quipped.

"At least I removed my gun before I hit the bed," Illya said.

"Yes, but you left your shoes on. I did not have fun trying to change you in that state. It was bad enough waking you under normal circumstances. You were even worse when you were that tired," April shot back.

"I almost forgot," Napoleon said placing the mug on the table. "Mark, would you give me a hand?"

"Sure thing," he said, following Napoleon out of the room.

The pair were gone less than five minutes. They returned with three metal cases, placing them on the table. "April, come here a minute please."

"What is it?" she asked, wiping her hands on a towel as she walked to the table.

"I thought you could use these," he said, opening the first case.

The three agents smiled at the contents of the case. "Now there's a sight for sore eyes," Mark said, reaching into the case.

"What is it?" Abby asked as she looked over Illya's shoulder.

"Standard issue U.N.C.L.E. special. An agent's best friend, we never leave home without it," Napoleon explained.

"We all had our initials on the hilts," April added.

"April, Illya, I brought yours as well," Napoleon said nodding towards the remaining two cases.

The couple each opened a case and their faces lit up like children opening their presents on Christmas day. April held her special in her hand, feeling its weight. "I forgot how good this felt," she said.

"I knew there was a reason I married you," Illya smirked.

"And here I thought it was because you loved me," she quipped.

Napoleon smiled at the banter, "I've reinstated all three of you, can't have you running around killing people like rouge agents if you were civilians, now can I?"

A short while later the group sat down to eat breakfast. Nico wandered into the kitchen more awake. "Morning," he said.

"Now that's more like it," April said smiling. "Good morning sweetheart. Food's on the stove."

"Smells good, but you didn't have to make so much."

April glowered at him and replied, "Very funny. You and your father together eat me out of house and home."

Nico loaded his plate sky high with bacon, eggs, hash browns and sausage. He carried his plate to the table, sitting across from Illya.

Nico was silent a few moments as he worked on putting a dent into the pile on his plate. Something had been on his mind since he stepped out of the shower. He wasn't sure how to broach the subject, unsure of the reaction it would get. "Dad," he hesitantly said.

"Yes?"  
"I, um, was thinking."

"Yes?" Illya encouraged.

"When are you going to take care of the funeral arrangements?"

"Later today, why do you ask?"

"I...wanted to go with." April squeezed her husband's arm. "That is, if Mom isn't going," he added.

"That's ok, sweetheart, I have a lot of phone calls to make."

"You're not just saying that to drive my car, are you?" he teased. "Of course you can come with," Illya replied.

Later that morning, as Illya readied himself to make the hardest decisions he'd ever had to make, April sat on their bed talking on the phone. "We're burying her here because that's where we live. She paused a moment to listen to her daughter's in-laws. "My husband and I… No, I haven't remarried, he never died… It's a long story. Look, I'm calling you out of courtesy, once I have the final details I'll call you back. You don't have to come."

Illya had listened to April's end of the conversation, wishing he could save his wife from the stress she was going through. He sat down next to her, snaking his arm around her waist. She leaned into his embrace resting her head on his shoulder. "I know Anya's home with Richard was in Minnesota, but her father's home has been here for 20 years. He missed out on so much of her life when she was alive; we want to bury her here."

April began to get irritated by the conversation. "Let me remind you," she said, standing up from the bed. "Illya and I are her parents, not you. She may have been married to your son, but she was our daughter long before she was your daughter-in-law. You may not like it but that's how things are. We're going to bury our daughter close to us. If it's such a hassle for you to come then don't - she knew who loved her when she was alive."

When the call ended, April snapped her phone closed and sank onto the bed. That one call had worn her out more than she could have imagined. That was only the first of many that needed to be made. She was beginning to lose control of her emotions. Feeling overwhelmed, she leaned forward burying her face in her hands. Illya massaged her shoulders hoping to ease her stress. When she began to sob, he wrapped his arms around her and held her.

**Minneapolis, Minnesota**

Tony and Ziva walked into the reception area of Anya's job. They had been waiting for her boss to get out of his meeting. The minutes dragged on just as the meeting did until the NCIS agents grew tired of the wait. Finally, Tony stepped up to the receptionist hoping to charm her into interrupting the meeting. "Erin, could you do me a favor and see if Joe's still in that meeting," he said.

"I'll try Tony, but the last time I checked with his admin., the meeting was scheduled to last the whole morning," she replied.

"It's really important that we speak with him, the sooner the better."

As Erin picked up the receiver to call Joe's admin. Tony turned his back to her, glancing at Ziva. He watched as she paced back and forth, itching to dig further into the investigation. "Tony," Erin said, gaining his attention. "I'm sorry but he's still in the meeting."

"We can't wait any longer; we need to speak with him," he said. He paused a moment, thinking, when an idea struck him. "Is there any chance we can wait for him in his office?"

She nodded, "I suppose it can't hurt. Let me call Martha to have her escort you back." Once again she reached for the receiver and Tony walked to Ziva.

"We're in," he said, as he stood next to Ziva.

She looked at him trying to figure out how he managed to talk their way into the inner office. "Here's the plan," he began, "I arranged for us to wait for Joe in his office."

"But we're not going to wait there are we?" she asked, catching on to what her partner was thinking.

"Exactly, once we're in I'm going to find out where this meeting is and we're going to crash it." Ziva smirked at her partner, for once his devious side was coming in handy.

"Tony?" The agents turned at the sound of the voice. "My name is Martha. I'll take you to Joe's office." She held the door open for the agents. "So what does NCIS want with Joe?

"You know what NCIS is?" Ziva asked.

"What can I say, I'm a military brat," she replied.

"Well we...uh, can't really say. Out of curiosity, which conference room is this meeting in?" Tony said.

"Hoth," she replied.

"They named their conference rooms after Star Wars?" he asked.

"This is really a fun place to work," she said smiling. "This is the conference room," she said as they walked past it. "And here's Joe's office."

Tony and Ziva gave each other a knowing look. "Thank you," they said, turning on their heels and walking back to the conference room. "You can't go in there," Martha said, calling after them. "Joseph Carter?" Tony asked, barging into the room.

The occupants of the meeting glanced at the pair, annoyed at the interruption. "What do you want?" a tall thin man growled.

"I'm Tony DiNozzo, this is Ziva David, we're from NCIS," he said as they flashed their IDs.

"What's NCIS?" he asked.

"Naval Criminal Investigative Services," Martha supplied. Joe glanced at her a moment before turning his attention back to Tony.

"We need to speak with you in private," Ziva said.

"I'm busy here."

"It's important. It's about Anna Donner," Tony said, beginning to get annoyed.

"Yeah? What about her? She hasn't shown up for work in days."

"This isn't the place to talk about that. We really should discuss this in private," Tony said.

"Well whatever it is can wait."

Tony grew tired of the arrogant man's attitude, "She's dead," he said. "She was killed yesterday and her body was dumped. Is that good enough for you?" he growled.

Martha gasped as the occupants of the room blanched. Joe cleared his throat and said, "My office."

"Are you always this nasty about your employees?" Tony asked once they were in Joe's office.

"Sorry, she was working on a project for this meeting. When she didn't show up for work, I called her at home, looking for her. I tried her cell too and nothing."

"Is it like her to miss work without calling?" Ziva asked.

"No, she even called to say she was running late when she had bad morning sickness." Suddenly a thought struck him. "What is NCIS doing investigating this? She wasn't in the military, neither was her husband."

"We can't say; it's part of the investigation," Tony evasively replied.

Ziva continued her questioning, "Was Anna late often?"

"Not before she got pregnant."

"Do you know if she was having problems with anybody?" Tony asked.

"If she did, she didn't say anything to me about it."

"Did Anna meet with any clients by herself?" was Tony's next question.

"Sure, we all do."

"Was there anyone new that she may have met recently?"

"Yes, Raptor Records," he said, rummaging around the papers on his desk for any information. "Sorry, Anna had the file on them. You might want to check her desk, it's the third cube on the left," he said. He pointed towards a small cubical down the aisle to the left.

"We'll need to take both that and her computer with us," Tony said.

"Did they ever meet at the office?" Ziva continued questioning.

"Yes," Joe replied.

"We'll need to take your security footage from those days as well," Ziva said.

Anna's boss reached for the phone to begin making the necessary calls. "I'll even have the I.T. guys give you a copy of the server logs."

**Police headquarters, St. Paul, Minnesota**

"Tell me again why NCIS is interested in this case?" Detective Roberts asked as he searched through his files.

"We think it's related to the death of his wife," Gibbs replied.

"Yeah, but she wasn't Navy," he said.

"No, but her dad works for NCIS," Gibbs replied.

Roberts nodded as he handed the file to Gibbs.

"We'll also need any evidence you have," Gibbs said.

"If you want, but the case is closed."

"We have a new lead," Gibbs evasively said.

"I'll have it brought to you."

**The Mallard house, Reston Virginia**

"Do you want me to help you with the phone calls?" Illya asked.

"No, I'll do it. No one knows you. It'll be easier if I do it myself," April replied, sounding tired.

"Why don't you take a break, lie down for a bit?"

She nodded, "I think I'll do that."

"Good," he said, rubbing her back. "I'm going to go now. Call me if you need anything."

"Ok," she murmured.

"I mean it, anything." He placed a kiss on her forehead before hesitantly leaving.

Illya and Nico silently walked into the funeral home. They scanned the caskets on display; Illya never thought he'd be choosing one for his daughter. "Can I help you?" a middle aged man asked, walking into the room. When the pair turned around to face their visitor he said, "Oh, Ducky. It's been a while; how are you? Do you have another one for me?"

"Not so good, I'm afraid; my daughter died."

"I'm so sorry," he relied with genuine sympathy. "Let me take care of everything; just tell me which casket you want."

Illya nodded, "She's at headquarters."

He placed a comforting hand on Ducky's shoulder, "We'll take care of it."

When they finished, Illya and Nico silently walked to the car. Illya fished the keys out of his pocket, "Why don't you drive back?" he said, holding them out for Nico.

Nico nodded as he reached for the keys. The drive back was mostly quiet, Illya's grief overtaking him. Needing to switch gears, he asked his son, "Did Anya say anything to you?"

"Like what?"

"Like was something or someone bothering her?"

"She said something about feeling like she was being watched."

"Why didn't she call us?"

"I told her to call you but she said she was probably being paranoid. With Rich's death and the pregnancy, she thought it was nothing."

"How long had she been feeling that way?"

"I don't know; since the funeral," he shrugged.

"Why didn't she call us?" Illya sighed.

The Kuryakin men silently walked into the house. Illya went straight to the master suite needing time alone. Opening the door, he found April sitting on the bed surrounded by pictures. Upon closer inspection he found them to be family photos. "I thought it would be nice to put some pictures on a board at the funeral," April quietly said.

Illya stretched onto the bed picking up the nearest photo. It was Nico's first Christmas. Anya sat beneath the tree with Nico on her lap. The memories flooded back to Illya, threatening to drown him. Meanwhile, April stared at a picture taken at the hospital shortly after Anya was born. Illya sat on the bed holding his new baby girl while April watched on. Her smile had been radiant. Now she lay down resting her head on Illya's shoulder letting her mind drift back in time.

_**U.N.C.L.E. headquarters New York April 10, 1967**_ _**11:00 AM**_

_April sat in the Medical waiting for Doctor Jones to speak with her. They had just finished another grueling fight against Thrush. She hadn't been feeling good before the mission and the illness had intensified. She quickly wrote her report and elected to be debriefed first so she could slip away to Medical. Her stomach was in knots when Doctor Jones finally arrived. He sat on the stool next to the gurney, silently reviewing the results a moment. "Well, it looks like congratulations are in order."_

_ April wasn't sure she understood, "Congratulations?" she asked. _

_ "You and Illya are going to have a baby," he replied, smiling_

_ April sat in shock. They hadn't planned to have children, at least not yet. Was she going to be a good mother? Would Illya be a good father? How would Illya take the news? What would Mr. Waverly say about this? All those questions were making her dizzy. She pushed them aside deciding to take things one step at a time. "Thank you, Doctor," she said. _

_ "I'll write a prescription for prenatal vitamins and you'll need to see me next month." _

_ "Ok," she replied. As she watched him write the prescription a thought came to her. "Are you going to tell Mr. Waverly?"_

_ "I'm going to have to tell him when we have our weekly briefing, yes," he said, handing her the small piece of paper. _

_ "When is that?"_

_ "On Monday, but I can put it off for a week or two to give you time to inform Illya and make plans."_

_ April thought it over a minute. That would give her plenty of time to tell Illya and decide what to do next. She didn't want to give up being a field agent, especially not now, but she had to do what was best for the baby. "Ok, thank you," she said on her way out. _

_ April found her husband in the commissary loading a tray with enough food to feed three people. She walked up to him hoping to convince him to go home early. "Ah, there you are. I was about to send a search party for you," he said. _

_ She glanced at the tray taking a deep breath. The smells of the food suddenly made her stomach do flip-flops. She had felt this way around food for the past month but hadn't realized why. "Illya, if you continue to eat like that people will think I don't feed you." _

_ He gave her a ghost of a smile. "Sorry, I'm hungry." _

_ "You're always hungry," Napoleon quipped from behind. _

_ April smiled, about to add her own retort when she felt her stomach turn on her. She ran to the bathroom; Illya handed his tray to Napoleon and ran after her. Illya knelt beside her in the stall, watching as his wife emptied the contents of her stomach. When the retching stopped Illya said, "I'm taking you to Medical."_

_ "No," she said. "Not right now." _

_ "April, you haven't been feeling good and I just watched you vomit. You need to see a doctor."_

_ "Actually, I just came from there. What I want now is to go home, with you. We have a lot to talk about."_

_ He looked at her, worried. She placed her hand on his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "All right," he relented. _

_ Later at their apartment, April led Illya to the couch. "Illya, darling, I know we haven't really talked about it, but I'm pregnant."_

_ Illya was stunned. "What?" was all he managed to say._

_ "I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby. You and I are going to be parents," she rambled. _

_ Illya wrapped his arms around her pulling her into a tight embrace. When the hug ended April pulled back to find a big goofy grin on Illya's face. Before she had a chance to speak he captured her lips with his. When the kiss ended he pulled back and looked deep into her eyes. "Thank you," he murmured. _

_ His smile was contagious. April found herself smiling. She hadn't been sure what his reaction would be to the news. She wasn't even sure how she felt about it herself. They loved Napoleon's twins and always enjoyed playing with them, but a child of their own? "Is something wrong?" Illya worried. _

_ "No, it's just that I'm still in shock," she shrugged. _

_ "You love children."_

_ "Yes I do, and I want my own. It's just… I didn't think I'd be a mom so soon." _

_ He smiled at her, "You'll be the best mother I could ever want for my children."_

_ "I should be the only mother you want for your children." She smiled, the shock quickly melting away. He kissed her again, effectively ending any doubts she had about being a mother. When the kiss ended he led her to the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes in their wake. "I thought you were hungry," she said between kisses. _

_ "I am, but that can wait." She smiled at her husband as he lowered her to the bed. _


	3. Chapter 3

Starting a fire in the library fireplace, Napoleon sat in the quiet house letting his thoughts drift back in time.

_**April 10, 1967 2:30 PM**_

"_Tell me again what you have planned for tonight?" Michelle asked her husband as she prepared snacks for their three year-old twins. _

_Napoleon massaged her shoulders, "Mrs. Livingston is going to come over to watch the twins while we spend some time alone."_

_ "Mrs. Livingston? Why not April and Illya?"_

_ "April wasn't feeling well."_

_ "Still? She's been feeling that way for awhile. I wonder if she's pregnant."_

_ "It's probably stress."_

_ "Are you sure?"_

_ "No, but we have been under a lot of stress lately."_

_ "I don't know," she said, shaking her head._

_ "I know how hard our job is, I think it's just stress."_

_ She turned to face her husband. "If you say so."_

_ "I do." He smiled, placing a kiss on her lips. _

_ Later that night the couple enjoyed a nice relaxing dinner at their favorite restaurant. After dinner they decided to go straight back home. While driving home Napoleon kept an eye on his rear view mirror out of habit. It was a couple blocks later when he spotted the tail. Not wanting to worry his pregnant wife, he did his best to lose the pursuer. _

_ "What's wrong?" Michelle asked._

_ "What makes you think something's wrong?" he innocently replied._

_ "I've been around you to long to know better," she quipped._

_ He sighed in resignation, there was no fooling her. "Someone's tailing us." At her look of concern he added, "Don't worry; I'll lose them in two minutes."_

_ Napoleon wove the car in and out of the post rush hour traffic; cutting down alleyways and side streets. It took some work but he finally lost the tail. _

_ "There you see, I told you I'd lose them," he said, smiling at the victory, sparing a glance at his wife._

_ Without warning, a car slammed into the passenger side of their car, pushing their car into oncoming traffic, setting off a chain reaction. When the smoke had settled, four cars were a tangled mess in the middle of the street. Napoleon forced his eyes open, willing his body to respond to his mind. It took some work but his eyes finally opened. He rolled his head to the side to check on his wife. "Michelle," he croaked. Receiving no answer, he tried again. "Michelle, honey, talk to me." He breathed a sigh of relief at her groan._

_ He groped around his suit coat forcing his hands to find his communicator. Once in hand, he fumbled with the device, trying to assemble it. "Open channel D," he spoke into it. "Illya come in, I need help." _

_ Illya and April lay in bed tangled in each other's arms. When his communicator warbled he detangled himself from his wife and followed the sound to the living room. "Illya come in." Napoleon's disembodied voice called once the communicator was fully assembled._

_ "Kuryakin here, what's wrong Napoleon?"_

_ Taking a deep breath Napoleon replied, "I need help. We were in an accident; Michelle is in and out of consciousness…"_

_ "Where are you?" Illya asked, cutting off his friend's report._

_ Napoleon looked around, trying to get his bearings, when suddenly his car door was torn open. "Grab them." A gravely voice demanded. Hands roughly grabbed Napoleon's arm, pulling him out of the car._

_Illya, having heard the voice over the communicator, quickly made his way back to the bedroom picking up clothes on the way. _

_ "What's wrong?" April asked as she watched Illya get dressed._

_ "Napoleon and Michelle were in a car accident."_

_ "Oh no!" April gasped._

_ "That's not all, they've been kidnapped."_

_ April threw the covers off. "I'm coming with."_

_ "No, it could be dangerous." _

_ "Illya, I'm in this for the long run. They're my friends; I'm not going to let you get yourself killed saving them."_

_ "I won't be killed; I'll have Mark as backup."_

_ "Damn straight you'll have Mark as backup. And you'll have me as your partner," she said, running into the living room to contact Mark_

_ "I'll meet you at headquarters." Mark said in closing._

_ April quickly dressed as Illya continued to protest. "Listen Kuryakin, you can protest all you want, but I'm going with."_

_ "I can't lose you," he said, barely audibly. _

_ "What?" she said._

_ "I said, I can't lose you." _

_ Tears welled in April's eyes; she kissed her husband vowing to stay safe. _

_Later at headquarters the trio banded together to search for their friends. "Anything?" Illya asked._

_ Mark growled in reply. "They're blocking the signal." _

_ "It has to be Thrush," April commented._

_ "Did we get anything from the witnesses?" asked Illya._

_ "All we have is a dark van with the plate, TD9132," came the reply from one of the U.N.C.L.E. agents. _

_ Napoleon regained conciseness to find they were lying on the floor of a van, hands and legs bound. Not wanting to gain the attention of their captors, he quietly and carefully moved about checking on his wife. Finding a pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief. He checked his pockets hoping his communicator was still there. Finding the communicator, he surreptitiously activated the homing signal within. He managed to slip it into a pocket as they were being dragged out of the car_

_ "We have a signal." Mark announced. _

_ "Where is he?" Illya asked._

_ "He's on the move. Looks like they're heading towards New Jersey."_

_ "Let's go," Illya said, leading the charge out of U.N.C.L.E. headquarters. _

_ Mark carried a portable tracking device as Illya drove, dutifully following Mark's instructions. April sat in the backseat staring out the window trying to lose herself in the scenery as it sped by. She mentally prepared herself for the impending confrontation. She didn't know who had kidnapped their friends exactly; although their collective gut told them it was Thrush. That morning she had been a U.N.C.L.E. agent, married to one of the deadliest men in the organization. Now she was an expectant mother on her way to save her husband's partner and his wife._

_ Illya stole a glance at his wife in the rear view mirror, he could see her struggling with the change in their lives. He truly wished she stayed behind to spare her the ordeal. When this was over he was going to take her out of town where they could relax and discuss their futures with the organization. _

_ The dark van pulled up to a large warehouse in New Jersey. The driver and passenger descended from their seats as the men in back exited the van, dragging their prisoners closer to the back door. One man carried Michelle into the warehouse while two men carried Napoleon, one holding him under his arms while the other carried his legs. The couple was carried through the warehouse to a room on the east side of the building. Inside the nearly empty room, Napoleon was unceremoniously dumped on the floor. Solo came to, to find the one of the men holding his wife while the other man worked at securing her hands to a rope. _

_ "Get your hands off her," Napoleon growled. _

_The rough handling of Michelle roused her. "Whas goin' on?" she mumbled. _

_ The men ignored Napoleon as they finished their job. Once they were done with Michelle, the four men set about securing Napoleon to a table that was propped up at a 45 degree angle. First his hands were fastened with leather straps above his head. Satisfied the bonds were tight, they did the same to his legs at the ankles. _

_ Napoleon struggled against his captors, trying to get free. The more he struggled, the tighter the goons' grip became. Even strapped to the table, Napoleon continued to pull against his restraints. _

_ "You're wasting your time, Napoleon. My men are thorough, they know better than to give you a centimeter of freedom," Vladimir Romanov said, walking into the room._

_ "I should have known it was you." Napoleon replied with disgust. "Let her go, she has nothing to do with this. Your war is with me."_

_ "True, my war is with you, but I've grown tired of the same old spy vs. spy game. It's time to take this to the next level."_

_ Napoleon didn't like the sound of that. A cold chill ran down his spine as Vladimir advanced towards him. "And what's that?"_

_ "Oh you'll see,"Vladimir replied in a tone too casual for the circumstances. _

_Napoleon swallowed hard as his mind ran wild with possibilities. _

_ "Damn." Illya cursed as he slammed his hand on the steering wheel._

_ "Where did this traffic come from?" April wondered._

_ Mark stuck his head out of the car hoping to get an idea of the cause for the backup. "See anything?" April asked._

_ "Not a bloody thing," Mark sighed as he sat back down._

_ April's stomach was in knots. She didn't know if it was because of the pregnancy or stress. "We'd be better off flying," she heard her husband say._

_ "Waverly would never approve I,." Mark commented._

_ "I don't care what Waverly thinks; Michelle and Napoleon are missing. This is his fault. If Waverly would have let us kill Romanov in the first place we wouldn't be searching for Michelle and Napoleon," Illya said._

_ "Are you sure it's Romanov?" Mark asked._

_ "Who else would be sadistic enough to kidnap both of them?" Illya asked._

_ Mark thought it over a bit before nodding. It made sense. April leaned forward and reached over the front seat and placed her hand on Illya's left shoulder. She knew how hard this was on him. Illya had lost his family when he was a child and Napoleon was like a brother to him. "We'll find them," she whispered into his ear. _

_ Traffic moved at a slow crawl. "This is getting us nowhere. We're taking a helicopter." Illya said._

_ Mark gave his partner a questioning look and she nodded in response. He pulled out his communicator and set about making arrangements for a helicopter and a car upon their arrival in New Jersey. _

_Eventually, the car proceeded far enough for the agents to determine the cause of the delay. A truck driver who was hauling a load of cattle, had fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed. Now there were cows loose on the highway, and the police were attempting to round them up. _

_ Napoleon was in pain, a pain like he'd never felt before. He hated to admit it, but Romanov was good. Through his anguish, he heard Romanov tsk. "We can't have this," Romanov said._

_ Napoleon opened his eyes to watch Romanov toss a bucket of water on his wife. "Wake up_ missaj_," Romanov said. "We can't have you sleeping while I torture your husband, now can we?" he said, giving her a sadistic smile. _

_ Michelle gasped and choked as she came to. She sputtered as she struggled to catch her breath. "Leave her alone," Napoleon growled. "She needs a doctor." _

_ "Oh, she'll be fine," Romanov casually replied._

_ Solo didn't like the sound of that. Romanov turned his attention back to Solo. "Now where were we? Ah yes, now I remember." He reached for a stun gun. _

_ Romanov was taking his time, causing as much physical pain as he could to the U.N.C.L.E. agent before he turned his attention to the ultimate prize. Napoleon screamed out in pain as his body lurched from the stun. _

"_Illya, where are you going?" April called after her husband. _

_ Illya stalked towards the cause of the traffic delay. "Where does it look like I'm going?"_

_ She ran after him knowing all too well what he was about to do. "Give me your gun."_

_ "No."_

_ "Give me the gun, Kuryakin."_

_ "I won't kill them."_

_ "And what will darting them do?" She placed her hands on his shoulders and turned him to face her. "How are they going to move those cows if they're unconscious?" April placed her hand on his cheek, lowering her voice she added, "I know how much Napoleon means to you _l'ubov'_, but darting those animals will only make things worse. Why don't we help the police round them up so that traffic can move?" _

_ Leaning against the car, Mark waited for his partner to settle down the volatile Russian. When Illya placed the gun back in its holster, Mark walked to join the couple. Together the three U.N.C.L.E. agents helped the police round up the loose bovine._

_ Napoleon took several deep breaths; he didn't know how much longer he could hold out. "Now, I've neglected you for too long," Romanov said, turning his attention to Michelle. He placed his hands on her belly feeling around for the baby. Finding his target, Romanov smiled sadistically as he jabbed a knife into her abdomen. At her cry of pain Napoleon's eyes flew open and with renewed vigor, he fought against the restraints. "Don't waste your time, Solo; those bonds haven't loosened while I was working," Romanov commented, never once taking his eyes off Michelle. _

_ Napoleon growled, wanting to kill Vladimir with his bare hands despite the pain coursing through his body. Romanov took a step back taking in his handiwork. "Don't worry Solo; I'm not finished with you." He smiled evilly. Finally ready to return to his attention to Napoleon, he walked to the table and reached behind it, pulling out a baseball bat. In one swift motion he swung it at Napoleon's left leg. Solo didn't have time to prepare himself for the pain. Romanov reveled in his work; cries of pain were like foreplay to him. _

_Michele looked on with tears streaming down her face as her husband was being beaten. Her dress was soaked with blood and amniotic fluid. Her arms were ready to fall off from being over her head for so long. Her legs shook; she was in shock. She prayed Illya and his team would find them soon. _

_Finally in New Jersey, Mark, Illya and April jumped into a van and drove as fast as they could to the location of their friends. April fought the nausea as her husband drove like a mad man. Mark continued to provide directions to Belmar for Illya. It took the trio less than an hour to arrive at a warehouse. April jumped out of the van and quickly emptied the contents of her stomach. "I see Illya's driving has finally gotten to you," Mark quipped from a couple yards away._

_Illya refrained from glaring at the Englishman. Instead he let the jibe go. They would tell both Mark and Napoleon about the baby once things settled down. Sensing their need for privacy, Mark turned around to keep an eye on the building. _

_Once the vomiting stopped, April waited a short while, praying her stomach would settle down. Illya took a step closer to her wanting to make sure she was all right. She reached for him, taking his hand in hers. Deciding her stomach was settled, April gave her husband a small smile. "Please don't breathe on me; your breath leaves much to be desired," Illya teased._

"_It's your fault I'm in this mess," she playfully shot back, her eyes twinkling. _

_ Illya smiled at her, "If I remember my biology correctly, you're just as much to blame for this as I am."_

_ "I love you, Illya Nickovetch Kuryakin," she declared, ready to go into battle._

_ "And I love you," Illya declared, pushing aside his fears for April's safety and that of the baby. Right now he needed a clear head; his friends needed him. _

_ The trio carefully made their way into the warehouse, guns at the ready for any opposition they may face. The U.N.C.L.E. agents swept the main room finding nothing more than barrels stacked against the walls. They found it odd that they were met by no resistance. Not taking any chances, they kept their guard up as they made their way through the building. _

_ Illya led the way with April in the middle and Mark bringing up the rear. As they rounded a corner to search one of the smaller rooms a Thrush guard spotted them and began to shoot. Illya pushed April back as he returned fire. "How many?" April asked._

_ "One," Illya said as he ducked back around the corner for safety. "Make that two," he added as he poked his head around the corner, returning fire. _

_ Hearing footsteps Mark turned to look behind them. "Four," he said, firing his weapon. April turned to aid her partner in taking out the two Thrush guards who were trying to box them in. Just as quickly as the fire fight had reached a crescendo, it ended. The U.N.C.L.E. agents didn't move at first; when no other reinforcements arrived, they continued through the building. _

_ "I don't like this." April muttered._

_ "I'm with you luv; where is everyone?" Mark commented._

_ "Preferably not here," Illya said as he led the group up the stairs. _

_ Standing at the top of the stairs the group looked left and right. "Now what?" April asked. _

"_Why don't we split up?" Mark suggested._

_ "No," Illya objected. Before anyone had a chance to say more a cry of pain rang through the building. The trio stiffened; they knew that voice. Illya led the charge as they ran towards the sound. Illya kicked the door in and the U.N.C.L.E. agents burst into the room just as Romanov was about to strike again._

_ "Drop it," Illya ordered._

_ Romanov turned to look at the group with a bored expression. "So my agents failed to dispose of you. No matter, you'll never leave here alive."_

_ "What makes you think you can kill us? There are three of us and only one of you," April pointed out._

_ "The odds may be on your side but that doesn't mean you'll win," Romanov said, reaching into his pocket. _

_ "Keep your hands where we can see them," Illya ordered._

_ He pulled his hand out of his pocket and looked at the item for a while. "You want to see this?" he said, holding it out for them to see. "Then by all means, why not have a closer look." He tossed the vial on the floor at their feet and it burst into a cloud of smoke. The agents coughed as they were engulfed by the thick smoke. They lost sight of their adversary. Moving quickly, Romanov ran to April clamping a hand around her neck. He pulled the knife out of his pocket. Using the same blood-soaked blade that he used to stab Michelle, he pointed it at April's throat. Footsteps came running in and someone grabbed Mark and Illya by the arms, holding them tight as they continued to cough._

_ When the smoke cleared, Mark and Illya quickly found their target. A chill went down Illya's spine when he saw the madman on top of his wife. _

"_Drop your weapons," Romanov ordered. When the men from U.N.C.L.E. still held their guns, Romanov pressed the knife against April's throat, piercing the skin. _

_ Seeing the drop of blood, the men dropped their weapons. Romanov smiled sadistically, enjoying his control over the highly trained agents. "Now for you my dear, I hear you married Illya. Such a waste. Since we have his undivided attention why don't we show him how you really like it," he said leaning in. _

_ April turned away at the feel of his hot breath on her face. She could feel he was already hard when he pressed his body against hers. He repulsed her and she did her best not to throw up all over him right now. She played along, waiting for the right moment to make her move. When he stepped back enough to make his next move, she struck. She kneed him in the groin and he cried out in pain, letting go of her and crumpling to the ground. _

_ Moving with lightening-fast speed, April dived for her gun and shot the men holding her husband and partner captive. The men, now free, wasted no time gathering their weapons and freeing their friends. April loomed over Romanov, waiting for an excuse to shoot him. Though they were ordered to bring the man in alive, this was not the time to do so. Right now they needed to free their friends and flee while they had a chance. Next time they'd bring him in. _

_ Mark ran to Michelle and quickly checked her pulse before cutting her bonds. He spared a quick glance over his shoulder at Napoleon; he didn't want to break the news that she was dead. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and concentrated on freeing the woman. _

_ "Illya, Michelle…," Napoleon mumbled. _

_ "Mark's taking care of her," Illya said as he worked on removing Napoleon's bonds. "Can you walk?" Illya asked, trying to assess the situation. _

_ "He only broke one leg; I can put my weight on my other leg." _

_ "Good, let's go," he replied as he placed Napoleon's arm around his shoulders. _

_ April waited until the men were out of the room before following, never taking her eyes off Romanov. Romanov glared at her from the floor, vowing to make April and Illya suffer._

_ Napoleon lay on the floor of the van and reached for his wife quietly saying her name. "I'm sorry Napoleon, she's gone," Mark murmured._

_ Napoleon looked up at his friend not wanting to believe him but deep down he had known it before the Englishman confirmed it. Dragging himself to a sitting position, Napoleon held his wife for the last time. _

_ April sat in the passenger seat as her husband drove. She turned to him with tears streaming down her face after hearing what her partner said. Feeling eyes on him, Illya spared a glance at his wife. Once they were back at headquarters he would spend time alone with her. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned to look out the passenger window. Later, she thought._

_**U.N.C.L.E. headquarters NY April 10, 1967 11:24 PM**_

_ As Napoleon was carefully being placed on a gurney, April ran to her office. Illya and Mark followed the medical teams to Medical and waited for their friend. Once Napoleon was wheeled into surgery Illya left in search of his wife. "Take your time; I'll call you when he's out of surgery." Mark offered._

_ "Thank you," Illya quietly said. The Russian left Medical and wandered the halls of the nearly empty offices stopping briefly to send a team of agents to relieve the baby sitter and guard the Solo twins. Finishing quickly he went back to wondering where his wife was hiding. On a hunch he headed for her office. _

_ April sat on the couch in her office, letting her tears flow. Hearing the door hiss open April jumped off the couch and threw her arms around Illya. Illya wrapped his arms around her and held her as she wept._

_ Mark, April and Illya sat in the commissary waiting for Napoleon to come out of surgery. Their reports had been filed and they planned their next move. "Romanov will come back, worse than before," Illya said. _

_ "What happened with him?" April asked her husband._

_ Illya briefly thought it over. He first met Romanov when they were both children in one of the orphanages Illya grew up in. They both went through things that no child should. "Nothing good," he finally replied. "We need to hide the twins to keep them safe from Romanov." _

_ "I checked on the team watching them when you left Medical. They're safe," Mark reported._

_ "Only for the time being," Illya pointed out. "We still need to bring them in to keep them safe."_

_ "I'll go pick them up then," Mark offered._

_ "You'll need to pack a bag and carry them, we'll go," April said._

_ "Why don't we all go?" Illya suggested._

_ "That sounds good," Mark said. _


	4. Chapter 4

Nico sat on the couch talking on his cell phone. "I need some time off… I don't know - my sister died and we're burying her in D.C. It's a long story; I'll explain when I get home…. I don't know when that'll be - probably a week… Yeah I'll call when I'm on my way home, thanks." He snapped the phone closed and buried his head in his hands. Abby walked into the house, ushering the dogs in from their walk. She spotted Nico and squatted down to take the leashes off. When the dogs were free they scurried to all corners of the house while Abby made her way to the lounge.

She sank onto the couch wrapping her arm around Nico and rubbing his back comfortingly. Nico gave her a small smile. "Thanks," he murmured. "I was thinking of doing something for the funeral," he began softly. "I was wondering if you'd give me a hand with it."

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"Come with me and I'll show you," he said, standing from the couch.

"So where are we going?" she asked, following close on his heels.

"The attic."

Nico led the way to the attic, and the pair walked to a door at the north end of the house. Opening the door, he flipped the light switch, illuminating the stairs to the dust-filled room. Once they were in the attic, Nico looked around for the box he knew was hidden up there. He found the box hidden in the corner, buried deep behind the Christmas decorations. "What's in there?" Abby asked as Nico pulled the box out.

He placed the box on the floor and sat down beside it. "After Dad left, Mom thought it would be nice to record the everyday things in life so that Dad wouldn't miss out anymore than he already did. She bought a video camera and taped things like first dates, graduations, whatever. I was thinking it would be nice to have a video playing of Anya."

"That's a great idea."

"You think so?"

"Yeah! Can we watch some of these so I can see what I'm working with?"

"Sure," he said standing with the box. "We can watch downstairs."

The pair sat on the couch watching the first tape, Anya's graduation. Napoleon walked into the room, wondering what the pair was watching. He smiled sadly when he saw a young Anya on the screen. He sat in the wingback chair. "Anya looked more like April as she got older," Napoleon remarked.

"Did you ever meet her, Napoleon?" Abby asked.

"Napoleon and I met both kids," Mark said, walking into the room.

"Really? Ducky didn't mention anything about seeing either of you after they left."

"We only saw them a small handful of times really," Napoleon said. "The first time we officially met Anya was when she was three. April and Illya invited us over to talk about their plan for Illya to go to medical school."

"You see, the last time we saw April, before they left New York, she was pregnant with Anya," Mark explained.

_**Ontario, Canada July 24, 1971**_

_The trio enjoyed a relaxing dessert, getting caught up with each others' lives. When she finished, April ushered Anya to the bathroom for her bath. Illya and Napoleon cleared the table before settling into the living room. A little while later, Anya ran out dressed in her pajamas under her little robe; her hair damp on her head. "Unca 'Polean," she said, running to Napoleon. _

_ He smiled lovingly at her and picked her up, setting her on his lap. "What is it, angel?"_

_ "Read me a story, peese?"_

_ His smile grew at the request. Illya watched on, smiling. Anya had a way of melting Illya's heart. "I'll read you a story any time you want, sweetheart," Napoleon replied as he smiled down at her glowing, freshly bathed, cleaned, face. As Anya cheered, Illya snuck up behind her and scooped her up in his arms. He swung her around, assaulting her with kisses as he carried her back to her room. Napoleon pushed himself up from the chair, using the cane as he followed his friend. Anya giggled at the assault; she loved her daddy. _

_ "Was this your idea?" Napoleon quietly asked April when he reached the door._

_ "No, it was all hers," she replied quietly. _

_ "Well thank you, for everything. I've enjoyed spending time with her."_

_ "You're quite welcome, Napoleon. I just wish things were different and you could be in her life more."_

_ "Me too," he murmured. Napoleon walked into the room and sat on the edge of her bed. "Now what is it you'd like me to read, angel?"_

_ She held out a book that she'd picked out for him. He took the book and read the title, "Horton Hears a Who!" Napoleon smiled at the little girl as he opened the book and began to read._

_ Illya leaned against the door frame, watching on. It was nice seeing his friend smiling; he imagined that didn't happen often these days. April snaked her arms around his waist, snuggling up to him. He wrapped his arm around her waist as they watched on. When they heard a soft knock on the front door April quietly said, "There's Mark, I'll get it." She walked to the bed and placed a gentle kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Goodnight, sweetheart," she murmured._

_ April walked to the door, checking to see who it was before opening it. "Mark, it's good to see you," she said giving him a hug once he was in the apartment. _

_ "April luv, it's been too long. How's the baby?"_

_ "Napoleon's reading her a bedtime story if you want to see her."_

_ Mark smiled and replied, "Lead the way." _

_ April felt oddly relaxed with the three most important men in her life being under the same roof. She wondered how long it would be before they could be reunited once and for all. Things were going to be hard enough as it was; she didn't need her emotions weighing her down. April shoved her thoughts deep down; now was not the time for those fantasies. _

_ "She's beautiful, looks just like you," Mark quietly said upon seeing Anya. _

_ Napoleon had finished the story while April was gone. He had been sitting on the bed watching the three-year-old sleep. His heart longed for his children; he missed them more with each passing day. He reminded himself that they were hidden, safe from Romanov and anyone else that would want to use them as revenge against the U.N.C.L.E. agent. He leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. "Good night, my little angel," he whispered. _

_ The four agents sat around the dining room table spending time getting caught up with each others' lives. The last time the four agents were together in the same room was when they made their plans for the future._

_ "So tell me, why are we really here?" Napoleon asked, giving his partner a pointed look. _

_ Illya took a deep breath, "We've been talking and have decided I'm going to become a medical examiner."_

_ Mark and Napoleon looked at each other; this was certainly unexpected. "Why a medical examiner?" Mark asked. _

_ "I can't stay with April forever, it's too risky. By being a medical examiner I can hide in plain sight, but still live and make a difference."_

_ Napoleon mulled it over a moment wondering if there was more that they weren't saying. "Is there something you're not telling us?" he pointedly asked. _

_April and Illya looked at each other, "Tell them, they need to know," she said._

_ Illya nodded reluctantly; he knew she was right. "We're going to have another baby." _

_ April grasped Illya's hand and said, "Don't even try to give us a Waverly lecture, Solo. This baby may not have been planned but we're happy about it."_

_ "I was going to say 'congratulations'," Napoleon said, smiling. "But since you mentioned it, you're not having regrets about this other one are you?" _

_ "No," she adamantly replied. _

_ Napoleon looked at his partner with the same unspoken question. "Absolutely not! In an ideal world April and I would not be hiding from a madman. You would not have watched him butcher your wife and unborn child. We would all still be with U.N.C.L.E. But that's not the case and we have to deal with things the best we can. Don't forget, Anya wasn't planned either, but I can't imagine our lives without her. No, Napoleon, April and I have no regrets about having another child."_

_ "I'm only asking because I have to, but does your decision to go to medical school have anything to do with the baby?"_

_ "I see Waverly groomed you well. No, we had been talking about this for weeks before April became pregnant."_

_ "So what is it you want from us?" Mark asked._

_ "Well we - Illya, needs a new identity with a full background," April explained._

_ "Mark, we would appreciate it if your network would keep their eyes and ears open for any rumblings by Romanov. April and the children will be with me until further notice. I don't want to take any chances."_

_ "Did you have any schools in mind?" Napoleon asked._

_ "Edinburgh Medical School." _

Later that day, the four agents hovered around the laptops in the dining room. "Raptor Records?" Napoleon asked.

"Yeah, that was the newest client Anya had been working with," Tony replied.

"Did she have any files on them?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, you should be getting them now," Tony said, eyeing the U.N.C.L.E. tech.

"Got them," Mark announced when the files finished downloading.

Illya leaned forward to get a better look at the monitor. "Let's see the logo," he said, pointing to the files.

Mark opened the files requested and the agents stiffened at the sight. The first file had the old Thrush logo they were all too familiar with when they'd all worked for U.N.C.L.E. "Thrush" they said in unison.

"Of course, raptor is another word for bird of prey," Illya said.

"And bird of prey is exactly what Thrush is," Napoleon added.

"I should have shown her what the Thrush logo looked like," April said.

"It's not your fault; I didn't show her either," Illya said, placing a comforting hand on her back. "Did you find any evidence at her house?"

"Nothing, Duck," Gibbs replied.

"What about Richard's accident? Find anything unusual?" Mark asked.

"We weren't able to see the car for ourselves but according to the police file, it was nothing out of the ordinary."

"Tony, when did Anya start working with Raptor Records?" Illya asked.

Tony consulted his notes a second before replying, "Three weeks ago."

"Which is after Richards's death," Illya said.

"You find the timing as coincidental as I do?" Napoleon didn't expect an answer.

"We have the security footage from Anya's work," Ziva said.

The U.N.C.L.E. agents returned their attention to the NCIS team. "I'm sending the file now, sir," the tech said.

Napoleon nodded thanks as they waited. When the file finished downloading the four agents watched closely. "Do you recognize them?" Illya asked.

"Sorry mate, I haven't seen them before," Mark replied.

As Napoleon concentrated on the faces, Jackson replied "I'm running the images through our database. So far I haven't had any hits."

"Could be new recruits," Mark said.

"Or someone Romanov hired that has no other connection to Thrush," April said.

"Found them, bottom feeder Thrush operatives," Jackson announced.

"Romanov probably promised them power for doing this," Illya said.

"So now the question is: where's Romanov?" Mark wondered.

"All we need to do is find them and interrogate them," April replied.

"You find them and I'll interrogate them," Illya said in a cool tone.

"When's the funeral?" Gibbs asked, changing course just a moment.

"In two days," Illya quietly answered.

"We'll bring them back with us," Gibbs promised.

"Alive and unscathed. I want to be the one to hurt them," Illya said.

Gibbs understood his need for revenge — he had been there himself. "Don't worry Duck," he said.

"Bring them to U.N.C.L.E. headquarters here; they're expecting you," Napoleon said.

When the transmission ended, Gibbs turned to Jackson and asked, "So what do we know about these bottom feeders?"

"I'm printing everything you need," he replied.

"Good, we'll get started right away," Gibbs said.

When the last page finished printing, Jackson handed the papers to Gibbs. Gibbs walked to their U.N.C.L.E. liaisons, holding the pages so they could read with him. "I know these places," one agent, Ami, commented.

"Let's go," Gibbs said.

The NCIS and U.N.C.L.E. teams spent the next few hours stalking bars and pool halls looking for the Thrush team that had targeted Anya. Gibbs was determined to find the men tonight despite fatigue.

"I hope this is the last stop," McGee mumbled as they stood outside yet another bar.

"Do you think Gibbs will take a break if we don't find them soon?" Ziva asked.

"We can only be so lucky," Tony replied.

"You aren't getting tired are you?" Gibbs asked, glaring at his team.

"No, boss," McGee said quickly.

"Just got my second wind," Tony added.

Gibbs gave Ziva a pointed look and she said, "No, not at all."

"Good, now let's go."

The agents walked into the local watering hole. They split up, looking around the smoky room in search of their prey. Tony was the first to spot them. He motioned for Ziva to join him. She was by his side in seconds. "Craig Jones?" Tony asked

"And Tom Davidson," Ziva said.

The pair looked up to face their visitors. "Yeah, who wants to know?" Davidson asked.

"NCIS. You're coming with us," Tony said.

"What if we don't want to go?" he argued.

"That wasn't a request," Tony said, grabbing Davidson by the arm.

"Hey, watch it," Jones said, jumping to his feet.

Ziva moved with lightning-fast reflexes pinning his arm behind his back as she slammed him to the table.

"Craig Jones, Tom Davidson, you're under arrest for the murder of Anna Donner," Tony said.

Jones managed to break free from Tony's grasp and began to run towards the door. Gibbs ran to block his way but Jones grabbed a nearby chair and swung it at him. Gibbs ducked out of the way and pulled out his gun, aiming at the man's head. "The only reason I'm not going to pull the trigger is because someone wants you alive," he said in a menacing tone.

Tony quickly joined Gibbs, grabbing Jones by the back of the shirt and slamming him down onto the table. Ami was hot on his heels, harshly slapping a pair of handcuffs on him. Gibbs, not trusting himself to bring the men in unharmed, stood back and watched as his team led the Thrush lackeys out as Tony read them their rights.

The U.N.C.L.E. agents had spent the rest of the night strategizing. It was getting late when Illya called Nico.

"Hi, Dad."

"Were you planning on coming home?" he teased.

"Sorry. I'm still working with Abby on something."

Illya's interest was piqued, "What is it?"

"You'll just have to wait and see. I don't know how much longer we're going to go tonight."

"If you spend the night, I trust you can behave," Illya teased.

"Good night, Dad."

Illya smiled as he snapped the phone closed. "Leave our son alone," April said, wrapping her arms around him. "He's a grown boy."

"Yes, leave the boy alone," Napoleon mimicked.

"Thankfully he took after Illya and not you," April said. "Speaking of Illya," she said, rising from her seat, "You are coming with me." She took his hand and led him out the room.

"And where are you kids going?" Napoleon joked.

"To make mad passionate love to my wife," Illya smirked.

Napoleon turned to Mark and grinned. "Don't get any ideas mate, you're not my type," Mark said.

Napoleon made a sour face and raised a hand in threatening manner.

The next morning Illya woke to find his wife still wrapped in his arms. They had spent part of the night reconnecting on a level they hadn't in far too long. He brushed a lock of hair away from her face, smiling down at her. "Are you going to stare at me all morning, Kuryakin, or are you going to kiss me?"

His smile grew. "Sneaky," he said, before giving her a deep passionate kiss.

Later that morning the couple walked into the kitchen dressed and ready for work, in search of food. As Illya poured coffee for himself and his wife, Mark walked into the room. "About time you two came out of your room," he teased.

"Good morning to you too, Mark," April said.

"Napoleon called; your team is back and they brought Jones and Davidson with them."

Illya and April momentarily froze, turning to face Mark. "Why didn't he call us?" Illya wondered.

Mark shrugged, "Might have wanted to let you get some rest."

"Where is Napoleon?" April inquired.

"I don't know; he wasn't here when I woke up."

Illya thought that was odd, he picked up the cordless receiver and dialed Napoleon's cell number. "Where are you?" Illya asked once the phone was answered.

"I'm...uh, out."

"I know that, where is out?"

"I got a call last night and had to leave," he evasively replied.

Illya thought it over a moment. He knew Napoleon well enough to know when his partner was keeping something from him. "When did the team come back?"

"Earlier this morning. I called Mark because I knew you and April needed your time. Illya, take your time going to the office. There's no rush, they're not going anywhere." Illya rolled his eyes at the speech. "That's an order, Kuryakin. That goes for the other Kuryakin too." Napoleon quickly glanced at his watch. "I'll meet you guys in interrogation at 2:00."

"Fine," Illya replied, hanging up the phone.

As April put the finishing touches on brunch, Nico shuffled in wearily making his way to the coffee pot. "Morning," he said.

"Good morning," April said, not turning around.

Illya took a good long look at his son. He furrowed his brow, concerned. "What time did you get in last night?"

"I left Abby's place right after I got off the phone with you," he said after taking a sip of coffee.

"Did you have any problems sleeping?" Nico shook his head as he lifted the mug to his lips for another drink. "You look tired."

"His body must be playing catch up from the double shift and late flight," April said. "Remember how Section 2 wore you down?"

"That's not the same thing."

"It's not?" she challenged. "I remember you saying something about med school being tougher on you than some U.N.C.L.E. missions. Your residency was worse."

Illya thought it over. It was true; being a doctor is just as demanding on the body as being in Section 2. Though there were differences like torture, med school, residency and working in an emergency room were just as demanding on the human body. "Well, we're going to go out later. You should stay home and rest. Tomorrow's going to be a long enough day."

Nico was silent for a moment thinking. He could ask Abby to take the DVD to the funeral home for him. "Ok," he finally said.

"Just be sure to let the dogs out while we're gone."

"Ok, Dad."

"Illya, what are they going to dress Anya in?" April asked.

"She left some clothes upstairs. We can take something over there on the way to the interrogation."

**U.N.C.L.E. HQ D.C.**

Illya, April, and Mark walked into interrogation observation to find the NCIS team waiting. "Where's Napoleon?" Mark asked, looking around.

"Dunno, we haven't seen him," Gibbs replied.

Just as Illya was about to pull out his cell phone to call Napoleon the doors to interrogation swished open. The group watched as Craig Jones was ushered into interrogation and sat in the lone chair in the room. The guards secured his hands to the armrests with handcuffs. Once done they remained in the room, standing guard.

Illya took a good look at the room and noticed for the first time how it was set up. The room was empty except for a chair set in the center and a cloth covered table standing off to the side. An evil grin spread across his lips; he could just imagine what lay beneath it.

"Ah, good. You're all here," Napoleon said, walking into the room.

"There you are. Where have you been?" Illya asked.

"Never mind that. I had them set out a lovely assortment of toys for you," he said, nodding towards the next room.

Illya's eyes twinkled as his mind ran through a catalog of possibilities. "Shall we?" he said, motioning for the door.

"Lead the way, partner," Napoleon smiled.

"Watch and learn, boys and girl. You're about to see the master at interrogation," Mark said.

They watched as Illya stalked the room like a caged tiger. "You're about to learn how to get the information you need in three easy steps. Step 1: Intimidate the little birdie," April said, supplying commentary. Napoleon dismissed the guards.

"You don't scare me, old man," Jones said.

"Don't you know who this old man is?" Napoleon said, leaning against the wall. "That's Illya Kuryakin."

Jones flinched ever so slightly. The U.N.C.L.E. agents smiled at the sight_. It was nice knowing the mere mention of the Ice Prince's name still struck fear into the hearts of Thrush agents, old and new_, Napoleon thought. "I'm sure you've heard the stories about him." The bottom feeder barely nodded, afraid to show any sign of weakness.

"They're all true," Illya growled.

Jones gulped, trying to remain calm. Napoleon smiled. He was sure Jones had wet himself.

Illya stood in front of the chair leaning forward, placing his hands on the arm rests. "Where's Romanov?"

"Who?"

"Vladimir Romanov… where is he?" Illya snarled.

"I don't know."

"You're lying," he growled right into Jones' face.

Jones pulled back, "I don't know."

Napoleon whistled, getting Illya's attention before tossing him a set of keys. Illya easily caught the keys, dangling them in Jones' face, then stepped back walking to the table. He lifted the cloth letting it drop on the floor. His eyes swept the items on the table; he was going to enjoy this.

"Step 2: cause physical pain; torture them," April said.

McGee turned to face the U.N.C.L.E. agents. "Uh, wait, you...uh, can't torture people," he stammered.

"You lot may not be allowed to but we can," Mark said.

"A scalpel?" Illya said, holding up the item and turning to face his partner.

"I thought you might like to perform an autopsy," he shrugged.

"A living autopsy? Napoleon, you've gotten dark."

"Illya, Illya, Illya. I lost my humanity years ago. So tell me, what did you have in mind for Jonesy here?"

Illya unlocked the cuffs and then shoved Jones down on the floor hard, on his knees. "Oh I don't know… maybe start off with a little dislocated shoulder," he said, dislodging the man's shoulder.

Jones yelled out in pain; he wasn't going to break. "You know Napoleon, this is much better with a medical degree. Before I knew what hurt, but now I know exactly what causes the most pain," he said with an evil grin.

"He's back," Mark grinned.

"Who's back?" McGee asked, confused.

"Illya Nickovetch Kuryakin," April replied, smiling proudly.

Gibbs's curiosity over the past grew with each passing moment. Needing to know what caused this he walked to April and quietly said, "April, can I talk to you in private?"

April turned to Gibbs, wondering what he wanted to talk about. "Ok," she replied, leading the way out of the room.

Once the doors swished closed behind the pair Gibbs spoke. "I need to know what happened that day."

"I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs, but we made a pact not to talk about it. Besides, this isn't NCIS business. Thank you for all your help though."

Gibbs took a deep breath, glancing down the hall. "April, I was a dad once — I know what it's like to lose a child. While I was in Desert Storm my wife and daughter were killed. I won't let Illya walk to his death. If what he's said is true about Romanov then the four of you will need our help."

April was silent, digesting Gibbs's speech. She'd taken a vow not to tell another living soul the details that transpired that day. It had been over thirty years and she'd kept that oath. Now the one man outside of the U.N.C.L.E. that her husband trusted with his life was asking her to break that promise. Could she live with the guilt of being the one to break the pact? It was a lot to ask of her. Finally making her decision, April took a deep breath as she nodded. She motioned with her hand for him to follow her as she walked through the door to an observation room across the hall.

Once the doors closed April secured the lock, not wanting anyone to follow them. "It was the day I found out I was pregnant," she began. "The four of us had just come back from a mission when I went to medical to find out what was wrong with me. When the doctor told me I was pregnant I was floored. I found the boys in the commissary loading their trays sky high." She smiled at the memory.

"Illya and I went home where I broke the news to him. He was thrilled. We spent the rest of the day celebrating. That night Napoleon called Illya; he and his wife had been in an accident and needed our help. I called Mark and we used Napoleon's transceiver to find him. Illya didn't want me to go because of the baby, but I insisted."

She closed her eyes, the visions of that day flooding back like a tsunami. "When we arrived Michelle was dead. Romanov had stabbed her in the abdomen, aiming for and killing the baby. She was six months pregnant. She bled to death. Napoleon watched, helpless. Romanov made sure he didn't forget that day. Napoleon was tortured, his left leg broken so badly the doctors could only repair it so much."

Gibbs nodded, that explained the cane the older man relied upon. "Illya and Mark freed Napoleon and Michelle while I held Romanov off. We should have killed him then. We had plenty of opportunities before that, actually, but we were under orders to bring him in alive. The funeral was held off until the doctors patched Napoleon together long enough to let him out for the day."

She opened her eyes looking straight at Gibbs and said, "The day after we rescued Napoleon, we made a pact never to speak of that day again. We agreed it would be best if we split up. Napoleon chose to remain with U.N.C.L.E.; the damage to his leg kept him out of the field. Mark left and went freelance. He formed the group called the Protectors. Illya and I met with our boss, Mr. Waverly. He was the first person we told about the pregnancy. He helped us disappear. "

"That night Napoleon's children were hidden away, safe from the outside world. Illya stayed with me through the duration of the pregnancy, worried about my safety and that of the baby's. Once I was back on my feet he left."

April's cell phone chimed. She had received a text message. She called up the message which simply read "Napoleon's office." A quick glance at the sender revealed it to be from her husband. That was fast, she thought. "Come on, they're waiting for us in Napoleon's office," she said, unlocking the door.

Napoleon sat behind his desk, fishing around in a drawer for a bottle of painkillers. "How bad is the pain?" Illya asked.

"Manageable," he replied.

"With pills," Illya said.

"I haven't taken prescription pain killers since recovery."

"Don't want to risk addiction?" Mark asked.

Napoleon nodded in reply. "That reminds me," Illya said, pulling out his cell phone as he walked to the window.

"Checking on Nico?" Mark asked.

"Yes," he replied, dialing the phone number to the house.

"Is something wrong with Nico?" Napoleon asked, finding the bottle.

"I don't know, he didn't look good this morning," he replied as he waited for Nico to answer the phone. He began to worry after the fourth ring but then Nico picked up. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, Dad why do you ask?"

"Why did it take you so long to answer the phone?"

"Sorry, I was taking a nap."

"How are you feeling?"

"The same," he shrugged.

Illya was worried; something didn't feel right about Nico's sudden fatigue. "Fever?"

"I haven't checked but I feel fine."

Illya turned at the sound of the doors closing. April walked in to sit next to Mark just as she used to when they were in Section 2. Gibbs sat in the remaining empty chair opposite Mark.

"I have to go," he quietly replied. "If you need anything don't hesitate to call."

"Ok Dad, I'll see you and Mom when you get home then." Father and son said their good-byes before Illya snapped the phone closed, returning it to his pocket.

"So tell me Illya, how did you get the information so fast?" April asked.

He gave her a mischievous grin, "I have my ways. According to Jones, Romanov killed Anya at the same place this all started."

"You're kidding," April said, shocked.

"Don't tell me he's been there all this time," Mark said.

"No, he hasn't," Napoleon said.

The agents in the room turned to face the head of U.N.C.L.E. "How do you know that?" Illya asked.

"I've had an agent working closely with Romanov for a number of years."

"If this agent has been working with Romanov as closely as you say then why didn't they warn you about his plan to kill Anya?" April asked.

"They didn't know. It seems he had kept things from my agent."

"When's the last time you talked to this agent?" Mark asked.

"Last night. That's why I left the house. I've called my agent and they'll be here as soon as they can. I don't expect to see them until sometime tomorrow."

"Can you trust this agent?" Gibbs asked. The others turned to face the NCIS special agent as if he'd suddenly grown a second head. "I'm just saying you can't always trust a double agent," he shrugged.

Napoleon fixed Gibbs with a steely gaze. "I can trust my agent," he said in a tone effectively ending any future arguments.

"So what's the plan?" April asked.

"We don't do anything until after the funeral. I won't let you miss that," Napoleon said. "I'll have a security detail on the house, funeral home and cemetery tomorrow."

"We'll take care of security," Gibbs said.

Napoleon fixed him with a look, "Just like you protected Illya when Hanlan and his mother tried to kill Illya?" Gibbs glared at the U.N.C.L.E. agent; he didn't like the older man's tone.

"Jethro, would you excuse us a moment?" Illya asked.

"Fine," he growled, still glaring at Napoleon. Gibbs stood and turned to leave when Illya spoke up, "The others are in the commissary. We'll join you when we're through. Maryse will show you the way." Gibbs nodded as he walked out the door.

Illya walked to stand behind his wife. Now that the U.N.C.L.E. agents were alone he placed a hand on her shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze. "Napoleon, leave Gibbs alone. He assigned his best agent to protect Mrs. Waverly and me. He knew better than to assign one person to protection detail but he trusted her. Kate was on Air Force One before she joined NCIS."

"I know where she worked before NCIS," he replied, annoyed.

"Then let it go," April said. "I was worried too when Illya told me what happened. But I've forgiven Gibbs for doing what he thought was best." She reached up and placed her hand over Illya's. "We've all made mistakes despite our training."

"Yeah, like listening to the old man and not killing Romanov," Mark said.

"Fine," Napoleon sighed in resignation. "I still want a U.N.C.L.E. team covering us tomorrow."

"No," Illya said shaking his head. "Anya's friends and in-laws don't need any more stress. Jethro and the others are my friends. They can blend in with the crowd and still keep an eye out for us. They're going to be there and if I'm right, Jethro has already assigned the team to guard us."

"That makes sense," Mark replied. "They're your friends — no one would suspect they were also guarding everyone at the funeral. An U.N.C.L.E. team would be too conspicuous."

"So what were your thoughts on going after Romanov?" Napoleon asked, changing the subject.

"I'm walking in the front door. We've been in hiding too long. I'm sure he'll be expecting us, no need to skulk about," Illya replied.

"Why do I get the feeling you'll make your own door to walk into?" Napoleon said. Illya grinned innocently, "I'll have plenty of explosives waiting for us," Napoleon replied.

"Do you think Ducky really enjoyed that interrogation as much as he looked like he did?" McGee asked.

"That wasn't Ducky. You heard his friend — that was Illya Kuryakin, whoever that is. Even his accent changed while he was in there." Tony replied. "I'd hate to get on his bad side," he shuddered.

"Ziva are you ok? You've been really quiet," McGee said.

She cleared her throat before answering. "I'm fine," she said.

"He get to you too?" Tony asked.

"No," she lied.

"Come on Ziva, you can't tell me seeing kindly old Ducky go Batman in there didn't freak you out," Tony said.

"Gibbs, what's going on?" McGee asked at the sight of their boss.

Gibbs sat beside his team, coffee cup in hand. "We're going to cover security tomorrow. No one gets close unless Ducky or April says so."

"Got it, boss," Tony replied.

"What about Napoleon or Mark?" Ziva asked.

"What about them?" Gibbs replied.

"What if they have someone there that April or Ducky doesn't know?" she elaborated.

"Well then, you listen to them," he replied. "This is their call — we're just there for support."

"What about when they go after Romanov?" Tony asked.

"You're going to stay out of sight. We'll do the rest," Illya replied, having snuck up behind the team.

"I'll provide you with everything you'll need for tomorrow. I'll email the files tonight," April said.

"When are you going to go after Romanov?" Ziva asked.

"We'll leave for Jersey as soon as we can after the funeral," April said. "What's your plan for New Jersey?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm walking through the front door," Illya replied.

"No, dear, we're all walking through the front door," April corrected.

He gave her a small smile. "Pardon me," he replied.

"Now if you'll excuse us, we're going to go home. We have a lot to do before the morning," April said.

"You can stay longer if you want," Illya offered.

"No that's ok, we'll leave now," Gibbs answered for the team. "What time is the funeral?" he asked rising to his feet.  
"Nine o'clock at Strang Funeral Home," Illya answered.

"We'll be there at eight," Gibbs replied. "I'll let the director know."

"Thank you," Illya quietly replied as he turned to leave.

Later that night, after dinner, April sat down in front of a laptop in the dinning room. She stared at the monitor convincing herself to work. The sooner she started, the sooner she could get it over with. Illya stood in the doorway as he dried the dishes. He could see the toll this was taking on his wife. When he finished with the last dish he poured a cup of coffee and sliced a piece of pie. He carried the items into the dinning room placing them next to his wife.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, massaging them comfortingly. "You know, the sooner you start, the sooner you'll be done," he said in a soothing tone.

She smiled sadly, "I know, love," she quietly replied. "I just can't get myself to start."

Illya stopped his ministrations and moved to the chair next to her. He slid the chair close to her and sat down. "Because if you do this it means there's no turning back. That our baby girl is really gone," he said.

"Something like that," she quietly replied.

He wrapped his arm around her, drawing her toward him. "We'll get through this," he replied. "Why don't you have some dessert and then get started? I made apple pie."

She rested her head on his shoulder, "I remember the first time you made me dessert."

"I was trying to impress you."

"It didn't take much, I fell for you before that night," she smiled. "Now get yourself some dessert and join me," she said, placing a hand on his leg. "I miss having dessert with you."

"I'll be right back," he said, placing a kiss on her forehead.

The next morning the occupants of the Mallard house woke early and prepared for the funeral. Illya decided to give his wife a break and make breakfast for the group. "How are you feeling?" he asked his son when Nico walked into the kitchen

"Better," he replied, pouring a cup of coffee.

"That's good," Illya said, relieved.

"So what's for breakfast?" he asked.

"You must be feeling better," April commented, walking into the kitchen.

"Morning, Mom," he smiled.

"Good morning _nebol'shoj Illya_," she added, giving him a hug.

Nico pulled back looking at his mother oddly, "What's that?"  
"Oh, I'm wearing my gun," she explained holding her blazer open for Nico to see. "Come here, Nico," she began leading him to the table. "Later today we're going to leave to take care of the man that killed Anya."

"You, Dad, Uncle Napoleon and Uncle Mark?" he said making sure he had understood her correctly.

"That's right," she replied.

"You and Dad," he emphasized.

"Yes."

"Mom, how long has it been since you and Dad were agents?"

"You know how long it's been, Nico."

"That's my point — it's been over thirty years. You're not twenty anymore. Dad isn't exactly young either. I've been talking to Uncle Napoleon; I know how bad his leg is. Uncle Mark is the only one that's been out there."

"Nico, just because we've been away from the business doesn't mean we can't hold our own. We'll be fine." She cupped a hand under his chin, "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

He took a deep breath before replying. "I don't want to lose you and Dad too."

"Oh sweetheart, you won't lose us," she consoled.

"Nickolai," Illya said, joining the conversation. "I won't let that bastard touch your mother. We'll have backup too. Gibbs and the team will be watching our backs. They won't let anything happen to us."

"Ok," he quietly replied. "I'll take care of the dogs while you're gone."

"Thank you," Illya smiled. "If you need any help feel free to call Abby. She wants to help out."

At the funeral home the Kuryakin family walked in followed closely by Napoleon and Mark. In all the busyness of the past couple of days Illya realized he had never formerly introduced his old family to his second family. It was time to formally introduce his families, both old and new.

Illya walked into the room where the casket sat open at the other end. He turned to April. "Would you give me a moment?" he quietly said.

April placed a comforting hand on his back. "Take all the time that you need, love," she replied.

Illya took a deep breath mentally preparing himself to say goodbye. As he walked into the room, April closed the doors behind him, allowing him some privacy. He stood in front of the coffin looking at his daughter, then reached in and placed a loving, gentle hand on her head. "Why didn't you tell us Anya?" he sighed. "If only you had told us about your feelings, if not your mother and, I then Napoleon or Mark. We could have saved you. Oh Anya… sweet girl…"

It didn't take long before the funeral started taking its toll on April. "Are you all right?" Illya asked, placing a comforting hand on her back.

She took a deep breath, "Are funerals always this draining?"

"Has it been that long since you went to a funeral?"

"I guess so," she said, placing her head on his shoulder. "I just never had to host one before."

"You're surrounded by family, both U.N.C.L.E. and NCIS"

Gibbs stood guard by the front door casually watching the people as they filed in. Spotting Abby he pulled her aside to talk to her before she could walk in. "Come here, Abs."

"What's up Gibbs?"

"There's something you need to know. Ducky isn't Ducky anymore, he's Illya."

If Abby hadn't been in the morgue that morning she wouldn't have known what Gibbs was talking about. "He's still Ducky," she said, dismissing the warning.

"No Abs, he's not. We saw him interrogate one of the men that kidnapped Anya. Ducky wasn't in that room, Illya was."

She didn't want to admit the man she'd grown to love like a grandfather had changed to a man she didn't even know. She reluctantly nodded her understanding. "Thanks, Gibbs," she quietly said. Gibbs placed a comforting kiss on her forehead before she turned to walk away.

"Ducky," Abby said as she walked toward Illya.

Illya turned to face the young woman. "Abigail, thank you for coming," he quietly replied.

"I'm always here for you, Duckman," she said wrapping her arms around him.

"Thank you," he murmured, returning her hug. When the hug ended they pulled back and Illya said, "Abby, we're going to leave after the funeral. Would you help Nico with the dogs?"

She looked at him oddly. "Your accent changed," she commented.

"That, my dear, is his real accent. Well as real as one old Russian schooled in England and France and living around the world has, anyway," Napoleon said, walking up to the pair.

April had been talking to Anya's in-laws on the other side of the room when she spotted the young Goth. "Excuse me," she said, walking to join the others.

"April," Abby said upon seeing the redhead. She wrapped her arms around April, giving her a big hug.

"Thank you for coming," April said.

"Ducky is family. You and Nico are his family, which makes you family too," Abby said.

"Abigail, thank you for making the video," Illya said.

"It was nothing. Besides it was Nico's idea, I just put the video together."

Jenny Shepard was the last of the NCIS team to walk into the funeral home. She scanned the crowd looking for familiar faces. Finding Ducky she walked to him, offering her condolences. "Jenny, this is April," Illya said, introducing the two women.

"It's nice to finally meet you," April said. "Illya's told me so much about his friends here."

"I wish I could say the same," Jenny said. "But I know and understand why he never mentioned his family before. It's a shame we couldn't have met under better circumstances." April nodded in agreement.

Illya motioned for Napoleon and Mark to come over, wanting to introduce them to the director of NCIS. "Jenny, this is my partner Napoleon Solo and this is April's partner, Mark Slate."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Napoleon said as he gave her his most charming smile. He took her hand in his and raised it giving it a kiss. She gave him a small smile in return.

"I see some things haven't changed," April quipped.

"Ever the charmer," Mark said.

"It's nice to meet you," Jenny said, shaking Mark's hand.

Jimmy Palmer walked into the men's room and was greeted with the foul stench of vomit and the sounds of retching. He called Tony over.

"What is it?"

"Did you see who went into the bathroom?"

"No, why?"

Palmer opened the door and Tony quickly understood. "Get Doctor

Mallard," Jimmy said, walking into the bathroom, feeling the need to stay close in case something else happened.

"I'm on it," Tony replied, quickly walking to the other side of the funeral home.

Jimmy turned to face the closed stall door feeling the need to announce his presence in some way. When the retching stopped and the toilet flushed Jimmy decided to make a move. "Um, my name is Jimmy, can I come in?" he said placing a hand on the stall door. At the weak "yes" he opened the door to find Nickolai Kuryakin sitting on the floor looking paler than usual. "Tony's getting your dad," he said. Nico managed a quick thanks before the retching started again

Tony maneuvered his way through the growing crowd to Illya. He placed a hand on the older man's shoulder and without thinking quietly said, "Ducky, we need your help."

Ducky turned to face the young man, "What's wrong?"

"Someone's sick."

"Where?"

"Bathroom," Tony said turning to lead the way back to the men's room.

The pair walked in to find Jimmy standing in the half-opened stall door. "Doctor Mallard, it's Nico," he said, backing out to allow Illya access.

Illya knelt beside his son as he leaned back, the retching once again having stopped. He reached up and flushed the toilet as he felt his son's face for a fever. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, I think it's the flu."

"Were you feeling nauseous at the house?"

"No, not until just before I lost my breakfast. Such a shame too, it was good," he said giving his father a weak smile.

Illya gave him a small smile; his son had undoubtedly inherited his sense of humor.

McGee having seen Tony lead Illya into the bathroom, followed. "What's going on?" he quietly asked Tony.

Tony turned to face him and just as quietly replied, "Nico got sick. It's probably the flu." A thought struck him and he quietly exited the bathroom.

McGee felt like a third wheel watching Illya take care of Nico. He glanced over at Palmer, Jimmy looked more comfortable. Ever the student, Jimmy Palmer observed his mentor, eager to be like the medical examiner Donald Mallard was.

"Why are you smiling?" Illya asked, continuing their quiet conversation.

Switching to Russian he replied, "I was thinking of the time when I was 6 and you came home for a visit. Mom felt bad because the first time you came back for a visit I was sick."

"To be honest, I didn't mind at all. It gave me a chance to spend some time with just you," he replied in Russian.

"I remember we played games all day while Anya was in school."

"You were a quite the card shark."

"Dad, we played Go Fish."

Illya smiled, "How's your stomach?"

"Better," Nico replied.

"Good," he said standing. "Now let's get back to the others. Your mother will send a search party soon."

Nico pushed himself up off the floor. He didn't get far before he began to fall. Illya caught him and strongly held him, helping him to his feet. Illya wrapped his arm around Nico's back and led him to the sink. Tony walked back into the bathroom, "Here," he said handing Nico a bottle of mouthwash. "I keep one in the car," he needlessly explained.

"Thank you," Illya said.

Mark poked his head in the door. "They're getting ready to start," he announced.

"We'll be out in a minute," Illya said.

"Is everything all right?" Mark asked.

"Nico got a little sick, that's all," Illya replied.

Tony motioned for the other NCIS agents to return to the funeral. When Nico finished rinsing his mouth out the trio joined the others. Illya helped Nico to sit down next to April.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Just an upset tummy," Illya replied.

April looked at her husband oddly. "Sorry, we were reminiscing," Nico said.

Illya sank in the chair to April's left taking her hand in his. She squeezed it, drawing much needed strength. Nico rested his head on her shoulder, his own strength draining.

Illya listened as Anya's friends spoke highly of her. His own thoughts drifted back to her life.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N I just wanted to say a big thank you for everyone that's left me a review. I have been reading them as they are posted, I just haven't commented on them yet. I do appreciate all of the reviews and am happy so many people are loving this novella. I still can't believe it took me 5 seasons to come up with the idea of Ducky really being IK. I guess I was just behaving, for once, and not going down that road. But when they hyped up season 5 as being the season of secrets, and how everyone had one. I wondered what Ducky's secret was. Being mad at Gibbs wasn't a secret, we all knew it and why he was really mad. There had to be a real secret that Ducky was hiding, and that's how this came about...

_**Reston, VA, December, 1983**_

_It was his first Christmas at the house in Reston. April decided it would be a good time to visit. She was eager to see the house he called home. "Oh Illya, this house is beautiful," she said walking around the foyer. "I love it." _

_ Illya stood to the side smiling; he was glad she liked the house. He planned on settling down here. "Daddy," Anya called, throwing her arms around him. _

_ He pulled her into a big hug, "Hello, my sweet girl."_

_ "I missed you," she said._

_ "I missed you too, sweet girl. Do you like the house?"_

_ "Yea," she said pulling back from the hug._

_ "Good, because this is where I'm going to live."_

_ "For how long?"_

_ "I don't know," he shrugged. "Forever, I guess." _

_ She smiled. "Can we come over whenever we want?"_

_ "As long as you don't miss school." Excited, she threw her arms around his neck. "Have you seen your room yet?"_

_ "No," she said, turning to jog up the stairs. _

_ "Now where's Nico?" he asked April._

_ "Where else?" she teased. _

_ He shook his head. "How did that boy get into the kitchen without me seeing him?"_

_ "You were upstairs when we walked in," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. _

_ He snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him. "I was making sure our bedroom was ready for your arrival."_

_ "Really," she purred giving him a kiss. _

_ "Mm hmm," he said pulling back from the kiss. "Would you like to see it now?"_

_ "Mmm, sounds tempting but what about the kids?"_

_ "What about them?"_

_ She playfully swatted him, "Illya Nickovetch Kuryakin…" she began but, Illya captured her lips with his. "You're not helping, Kuryakin," she managed breathlessly when the kiss ended. _

_ "I've missed you," he murmured._

_ "Well you'll have me all to yourself for the next week."_

_ "Only a week," he pouted. _

_ "You get to keep the kids longer though."_

_ "Really," he brightened. "Who's going to fly back with them?"_

_ "I was thinking they could fly back alone."_

_ "Are you sure?"_

_ "Illya, we won't always be with them. They're going to have to get on a plane alone at some point. You didn't think I was going to come with them when they come out for college breaks did you?"_

_ "I was hoping you would," he said, giving her a mischievous grin._

_ "Behave. I'll come out without the kids. Which means you and I can lock ourselves in our room for my entire visit."_

_ "I like the way you think, Mrs. Kuryakin."_

_ "Didn't you say the same thing when you first asked me out?" she smirked. _

_ "Mom, did you see my room?" Anya called down the stairs. _

_ The couple sighed. "Foiled again," Illya said in defeat. _

_ "I'll be right up sweetheart," she called up. Turning to her husband she continued, "I hope you stocked up because that son of yours will clean out your pantry."_

_ "I have plenty of food."_

_ "What about Christmas dinner?"_

_ "I'll go shopping for that tomorrow."_

_ "Don't forget a tree."_

_ "I wouldn't think of it."_

_ "Now that we have that settled, I'll meet you in our room tonight."_

_ "It's a date."_

_ "I'm going to go see our daughter's room," she said, planting a kiss on his lips._

_ "I'll go say 'hi' to our son," he said, parting ways. _

_Christmas Eve the family sat in the lounge. Illya had made a fire while April and Anya prepared dessert. Anya loaded a tray with plates of pie while April put the finishing touches on her homemade hot cocoa. Once both trays were filled they made their way to the living room. As they ate dessert Illya pulled out his guitar and began playing Christmas carols. _

_ "Illya, I can't believe you still have your guitar," April said._

_ "I like it," he shrugged. _

_ Anya sat next to her father enjoying the music. When she finished her dessert she felt compelled by the guitar to sing along. Illya smiled; he didn't know she had such a beautiful voice. Not wanting to let the opportunity slip past, he joined his voice with hers and together father and daughter entertained the family. It was close to midnight when the family retired for the night. _

_ The next day the Kuryakin family spent the day enjoying each other's company and preparing Christmas dinner. While the turkey cooked the family sat in the living room playing games. They were neck and neck in a game of Mille Bornes when the doorbell rang. Three heads shot up and looked questioningly at Illya. He smiled to himself as he glanced at his watch. "Illya, are you expecting anyone?" April asked._

_ "Actually I am," he replied. "I'll be right back," he said lifting himself from the couch. _

_ "Hey, no cheating," Anya called, covering her cards as he walked past her. _

_ He leaned down to place a kiss on her head, "I wouldn't think of cheating."_

_ "I've heard that one before," April quipped. She heard muffled voices and waited. When Illya didn't return she went to investigate. "Napoleon," she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. _

_ "April my dear, you look lovely as always," he replied returning her hug. _

_ "Where's Illya?" she asked._

_ "Courier mission. I brought presents, they're in the car."_

_ "You didn't have to do that. Here, give me your coat, and make yourself at home." _

_ "Thank you," he said, handing her his coat and scarf. _

_ "How's your leg?" she asked as he sat on the bench to take his wet shoes off. _

_ "Not too bad today," he replied._

_ "Napoleon, really you didn't have to buy anything," Illya chided, walking in the front door carrying brightly wrapped packages. _

_ "It was nothing," he waved._

_ The kids had been listening to the muffled voices trying to find out who had come to visit. Curious they snuck to the door and covertly looked around the frame into the hall. Seeing their father walk into the house, arms laden with packages they quickly walked back to their seats. "Did you see who Mom was talking to?" Anya quietly asked._

_ "No," came the equally quiet reply. _

_ "Would you like something to drink?" April asked, walking into the lounge followed closely by Illya and Napoleon. _

_ "Something warm would be nice," he smiled. _

_ "I've got just the thing," she said._

_ Illya gently placed the packages under the tree. "You haven't opened presents yet," Napoleon said._

_ Illya turned to face his old friend, "We decided to do that tonight."_

_ "You didn't have to wait for me," he quipped. _

_ "It was the kids' idea actually," Illya said nodding towards the teens. He pushed himself off the floor and walked to stand next to them, motioning for them to stand._

_ Napoleon gave them a big smile. "This can't be my little angel. She's a young lady; my angel is a little girl."_

_ Anya gave him a shy smile. "Thank you," she quietly replied. _

_ "Kids, you remember Uncle Napoleon don't you?" April said, walking back into the room. _

_ They nodded in response. "Come here, angel," Napoleon said. As she stepped forward he pulled her into his embrace. When the hug ended Anya stepped back and snuggled up to Illya. Illya placed a kiss on her head as he wrapped his arm around her. "She looks more like you with each day," Napoleon said turning to face April. _

_ Napoleon took a good look at Nico, "He looks EXACTLY like you," he told Illya. _

_ "And he has that man's appetite too," April quipped. _

_ Napoleon smiled, it was good seeing his old friends. He missed the fellowship they shared in a past life. _

_ "Here's your drink," April said placing a hand on Napoleon's back. _

_ "Ah, thank you," he replied. _

_ "No, that's not spiked," April added. _

_ Napoleon took a sip of the hot brew. "Delicious," he said. "Doesn't even need anything else."_

_ "Thank you. I can't take all the credit though, its Illya's recipe."_

_ "And you'll never get it," Illya said._

_ "Daddy, can we open presents now?" Anya said looking up at him. _

_ "I thought you wanted to wait until later," he replied._

_ "I changed my mind," she shrugged._

_ "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the presents Napoleon brought would it?" She smiled innocently. "I know that look all too well, missy."_

"_And you're just as guilty as your father when you give him that look," April added. _

"_Well, can we?" Nico said._

_ "Dinner won't be ready for another hour," April shrugged._

_ "Oh all right," Illya sighed in defeat. _

_ "Anya, Nico, why don't you open the presents I brought you first," Napoleon said as he walked to sit down on the couch._

_ "OK," Anya replied. _

_ Nico rummaged through the presents finding the two in question. He fished out two long, thin boxes, handing Anya hers. They sat on the floor as they ripped through the paper in unison. April and Illya sat on the opposite couch smiling. It was far too rare for them to spend Christmas together as a family like this. They were treasuring the day. The kids opened similar boxes, both finding a nice watch. _

_ Illya shoot a questioning look at his old partner. Napoleon responded with a slight nod. "Come here kids," he said. They walked to sit on either side of him. "I want to show you something special with the watches. You know how there's a man after your parents?" They nodded in unison, "Well if anything happens to you, these watches will help save you." He took Anya's watch in his hands to demonstrate what he was about to say. "If you're ever kidnapped, push and hold the stem for 10 seconds. That will send a signal to my office and we'll be able to use it to find you." _

"The watch," Illya quietly said.

"What?" April asked.

"The watch Napoleon gave Anya for Christmas."

"What about it?"

"Why didn't she use it to signal Napoleon?"

April stared at Illya, letting the question sink in. Questions raced through her head, she looked to Nico's wrist hoping he was wearing his watch. She breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted the timepiece.

When the funeral ended the men asked to stand as pallbearers walked to the casket. Nico tried to stand but found his strength too weak. Not wanting to let down his parents, he took a deep breath, willing himself to stand tall. Gibbs had been watching the young man closely. He placed a hand on Nico's shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze as he walked to take the young man's place beside the casket.

The six men carried the casket out of the funeral home. Illya stood and helped his son to stand. He wrapped his arm around Nico, holding him as they followed the casket.

At the cemetery the casket floated above the open grave, flowers draped on it. Friends and family gathered around for their final farewell. The Kuryakin family sat in the limousine preparing to join the others. "Nico, stay here," Illya said.

"I want to go Dad."

"You're too weak to stand, stay here."

"I can lean on you and I'll be fine. Dad, I want to go."

"Sweetheart, Anya would understand," April said cupping his chin with her hand.

"Please let me go," he nearly pleaded.

April and Illya both sighed, they were parents first but they remembered their days as agents all too well. How many times had they been injured yet still insisted on finishing the mission? "All right sweetheart," she sighed. "Come on." Mark held his hand out to help her out of the limousine.

"Nico's coming," April quietly informed her old partner.

Illya helped Nico move toward the door. Mark reached in, assisting the young man as he struggled to exit the car.

Gibbs stood off to the side watching. He stepped up behind April placing a hand on her arm. When she turned to face him he quietly asked, "Why is he coming? He should stay in the limo."

"I know, we both told him but he's stubborn. Just like his dad. You know, Illya was just as stubborn when he was Nico's age."

Gibbs smiled in amusement, he could easily imagine that. "Come on," he said holding out his arm.

She placed her hand in the crook of his elbow and they walked down to the others.

The Kuryakin family stood beside the grave, the words of the minister feeling hollow and empty. Nico found it harder to stand as time went on. He leaned on his father more than he had before.

Gibbs kept a close eye on the young blond. He could see the young man was quickly losing his battle with gravity. When Nico buckled over he dove forward past Illya to pick him up. He slung the unconscious body of Nico over his shoulder and rushed to the limo. "It's not the flu," realization dawned on Illya as he followed Gibbs. April was hot on his heels, followed closely by Napoleon and Mark. The NCIS team ran after the others, concerned for their friend and his family.

Nico lay on the floor of the limousine as Illya knelt beside him. "Nico, open your eyes," Illya said boring his knuckle into his son's chest. "Come on boy, look at me."

Nico moaned softly, his eyes opening half way. "He's burning up," April said worried.

"We need to get him to a hospital fast," Illya said.

Napoleon turned to his driver, barking out an order. "Take us to headquarters, we're going to Medical."

The U.N.C.L.E. agent nodded and slid behind the wheel, starting the car. He waited until the back door closed before throwing the car into gear and tearing out of the cemetery.

On the way to Medical Napoleon called ahead to inform then that they were on the way. Illya held out his hand wanting to prep the medical team. The NCIS team piled into their cars and followed closely.

Several minutes later the limousine arrived at U.N.C.L.E. HQ. He came to a screeching stop behind the building where a team from Medical was waiting with a gurney. Illya rushed after the medical team, doing everything he could to help treat his son. Mark and April lagged behind finding the scene all too familiar. Napoleon waited for the NCIS team to arrive before joining the others. When they arrived he made sure they were given the proper badges to allow them full access to the building. They followed his lead to the trauma area making their way to the chairs. Napoleon paused briefly to speak with April urging her to join them but she insisted on watching.

Her cell phone rang and she glanced at the number. She didn't want to talk to anyone but knew she had a lot of questions to answer, the least of which was what hospital Nico was taken to. "Use my office, take all the time you need," Napoleon said in a soothing tone. She took a deep cleansing breath giving him a grateful smile before turning to walk to his office. "Hello," she said after flipping the phone open.

Napoleon walked back to the others sinking down onto a chair next to Abby. "He's going to be OK, right?" she asked.

"He has the best people looking after him," Napoleon replied, draping an arm around her shoulders. As they waited for word on Nickolai, Napoleon's thoughts drifted back to the day he found out about April and Illya.

_**New York 1966**_

"_Where's April?" Illya asked Mark._

_ "I don't know mate, she was grabbed from the bar, must have been drugged."_

_ "We need to find her," Illya said trying to keep the worry from his voice._

_ "We'll find her Illya," Mark replied. _

_ Napoleon had watched his partner like a hawk, why was he suddenly so worried about April, he wondered. "What's going on with you? Since when are you so concerned about April?"_

_ Illya looked at his partner trying to decide whether or not to tell him the truth about him and April. True they didn't need to hide their relationship; Section 2 agents were no longer banned from marriage. But they felt it was better this way deciding they'd tell people when they were ready. Though Illya would have preferred to tell their partners under better circumstances they had a right to know. "April and I are dating." _

_ "How long?" Napoleon asked._

_ "A few months now," he sighed._

_ "And when were you planning on telling us?" Mark asked._

_ "We've been talking about it lately. We can talk about that later. Right now we have to find April."_

_ "He's right, first we find April, then we find out why our partners felt they had to hide their relationship from us," Napoleon said, giving Illya a pointed look. _

_ Illya turned away from his friend, he knew the American was hurt by his secrecy. Once they found April he would deal with mending the broken fences between them. _

_ That night the three men went in search of their companion. They searched long into the night and early the next morning but came up empty. Illya refused to sleep- it was never good when an agent disappeared. While Mark and Napoleon left for their respective apartments, Illya prowled the streets looking for any scrap of information he could find. His frustration grew as did his concern with each passing hour. _

_ Napoleon walked into U.N.C.L.E. headquarters mid day feeling well rested. He went in search of Illya and Mark, wanting an update on the search for April. He found Illya in communications terrorizing the staff. "Any word?" Napoleon asked._

_ Illya's head snapped up at the sound of Napoleon's voice and he turned to glare at him. "If I knew where she was do you think I'd still be standing here?"_

_ At first glance Napoleon could see Illya hadn't gone home. His hair was messier than usual, his eyes were bloodshot, his face was unshaven. Without saying a word Napoleon grabbed Illya by the arm and dragged him out of the room. Illya glared at his partner. "Let go of me," he growled, tearing his arm away once they were in the hall._

_ "Go home, Illya."_

_ "No, she's still out there."_

"_That's an order! You're terrorizing the staff, you haven't slept, probably haven't even eaten. Go home, Mark and I will look for her. If we hear anything I'll call you."_

_ "No."_

_ "Yes!" _

_ The men stared each other down, both too stubborn to cave. "Fine," Illya growled. "I'm going back out there to find her later."_

_ "That's fine with me," Napoleon shrugged. He watched as his friend walked down the hall._

_ It had been two days without word until they finally caught a break. They received word she was being held in a mansion upstate. The agents packed a van full of gear and made their way to the house. They were dressed in head to toe black, their faces painted black and Mark and Illya wore black hats to cover their blond hair. They decided it would be best to split up for a more effective search. The men silently took out any guards that stood in their way. _

_ Illya quietly walked down the hall listening for any noises as he clung to the shadows. He paused when he heard something. He quickly moved in the direction of the sound, pausing outside a door. He could see light shining from under the door, sounds of grunting coming from within. He carefully opened the door a crack to take a peek inside. What he saw was someone tied to the bed, spread eagle while a man had sex with them. Quietly moving to the side he found the person underneath to be April. He refrained from making any noises; instead he pulled out his knife. Illya snuck up behind the man and grabbed him pulling him off April. He held his head back, exposing the man's neck to his blade. In one swift motion he slit the man's throat. He threw him to the floor in disgust turning his attention to April. ._

_ She laid naked, eyes shut, tears running down her face, gagged. He quickly made his way to the foot of the bed and cut the first rope. As he made his way to her right leg he could see she was bruised and bloodied. He cut the second rope making his way to her hands. He made quick work of the ropes that bound her hands. Illya sat on the bed close to her quietly saying her name as he removed the gag. Her lack of response worried him as he brushed his fingers along her cheek saying her name again. _

_ Her eyes shot open, she looked at him, new tears streaming down her face. "Illya," she whispered._

_ "I'm here," he replied in a soothing tone. The sounds of gun fire floated through the open door followed by footsteps. He quickly wrapped a sheet around her about to pick her up when he heard voices. _

_ "There you are," Napoleon said running into the room. "They know we're here."_

_ "Where's Mark?" Illya asked. _

_ "Right here, mate," he replied joining the others. _

_ "Good, let's get the hell out of here," Illya said, picking April up in his arms. _

_ The trio left the room, Mark in front, Illya in the middle with Napoleon bringing up the rear. Together Mark and Napoleon kept their partners safe as they made their exit. _

_ "We need to get out of here fast," Mark said as they stood outside._

_ "We'll never make it to the van. We need to borrow one of their cars," Illya said._

_ Napoleon scanned the area; finding a car he motioned to the others, pointing to the car. "That'll do."_

_ As shots rang past them Illya said, "Let's go." _

_ They ran to the car, Mark and Napoleon returning fire. "It's unlocked," Illya announced. _

_ "Let's hope they were also kind enough to leave the keys," Napoleon said as he ran around to the passenger side. _

_ "Looks like that luck of yours is holding up," Mark said sliding behind the wheel. Illya sat in the backseat with April lying across the seat. He held her as the car peeled away. _

_ The guards fired at the retreating car. Napoleon gladly returned fire making sure they were safe. "We need to ditch the car fast," he said._

_ "Get to the van. We'll switch with that and leave the car. They'll never find us," Illya said. _

_ "Way ahead of you, mate," Mark replied. _

_ In the van Illya sat on the floor cradling April while Mark drove and Napoleon rode shotgun. Napoleon turned to check on his friends he wasn't sure but it looked like Illya was rocking April. He could hear his partner speaking very quietly in Russian. The CEA watched a moment longer and could see the affection the couple had for each other. _

_ Later at headquarters the men were busy writing their reports while April was being taken care of in Medical. There was an almost awkward silence in the room as the men tooled away at their reports. "6 months," Illya's voice broke the stillness._

_ "What?" Napoleon said._

_ "6 months. We've been dating for 6 months," he replied. _

_ Napoleon didn't say a word, merely nodded. Though Mark and Illya were friends, like all partners, he and April were closer. Mark decided to talk to her about this relationship at a later date. She'd been through enough tonight, they both had. Their reasons for keeping the relationship secret from both he and Napoleon wasn't life threatening. What was important now was April being home, safe and sound. _

_ After their debriefing with Mr. Waverly the men made their way to Medical. Since returning to headquarters, the three friends had hardly spoken to each other. "How is she?" Napoleon asked upon seeing Doctor Robert Jones._

_ "She's dehydrated, hasn't eaten in days, she was gang raped, she'll be sore for days. I've taken her off duty and put her on medical leave to give her time to recover." He turned to face Illya and said, "This isn't something she'll get over quickly. It will take time for her to deal with the rape_

_ Illya wondered why Doctor Jones had spoken to him so directly about her recovery. April must have told him about them, he thought. Deciding it wasn't important he asked, "When can she go home?"_

_ "Right now if you want."_

_ "Thank you," Napoleon said. _

_ The men walked to the bed April was in; she now wore a pair of scrubs. A nurse was busy removing her IVs. "The least you could have done was brought me a pair of shoes," April said in an effort to break the ice. _

_ "Sorry, we can stop by your locker on the way home," Illya replied. _

_ "How are you feeling?" Napoleon asked._

_ "Sore. They had me trussed up like a thanksgiving turkey since I arrived. Or should I say, since they brought me there. They drugged my drink that night and carried me out of the bar once I passed out. That's why it looked like I disappeared. With me unconscious they were able to throw me in a trunk or something."_

_ Doctor Jones joined the agents when the nurse finished. "April put this on the burns," he said giving her a tube of ointment. "Twice a day and change the dressings as well." He offered a handful of gauze wraps. "This should hold you until you can get to a store._

"_Thank you," she replied, taking the proffered items. "Illya, take me home."_

_ "All right," he replied helping her off the gurney. _

_ The friends parted company outside of Medical. April and Illya briefly stopped at the women's locker room to pick up her overnight bag before going home. "Take me to your apartment," April said as Illya drove._

_ "Do you want to stop at your place to pick up some clothes?"_

_ "Not tonight. I just want to go home."_

_ Illya placed his hand over hers, holding it as he spoke. "We owe them an explanation."_

_ She took a deep cleansing breath, "I know." _

_ "I've been thinking. Why don't we eliminate one apartment and move in together?"_

_ "Move in together?"_

_ "Yes." April grew quiet, mulling the question over. "I'm sorry this isn't a good time. We can talk about this some other time," he said, withdrawing his hand._

_ She reached for his retreating hand, taking it back and said, "No that's ok. I was actually thinking it over love. But yes, why don't we talk about this at a later date? I do need time to think about it." She leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I love you."_

_ "I love you too."_

_ At Illya's apartment April walked to the bedroom depositing her bag on the bed. She dug around for something to wear. Not finding any pajamas she grabbed her underwear and dug through Illya's drawers looking for a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. _

_ She padded to the bathroom and found Illya placing clean towels out for her. "I'm sorry but all I have to eat is soup."_

_ "That's fine," she smiled. She placed a hand on his cheek and said, "Thank you."_

_ "Anything for you," he murmured. "Now you take that shower and I'll go make us something to eat."_

_ April smiled at him. She loved how well he treated her. She closed the door and turned to face the mirror. Taking a deep breath she slowly unwrapped her wrists and ankles before turning the water on. As it heated she stripped out of the scrubs letting them fall to the floor. She pulled the curtain aside and stepped in. April stood under the stream of hot water letting it wash over her soothing her aching muscles. _

_ Working on autopilot, she washed and rinsed her hair then began washing her body. She looked down for the first time as she washed herself, seeing the bruises. Suddenly, the events of the past couple days threatened to drown her. She let her tears fall for the first time since seeing Illya. She slid down to the tub, drawing her knees to her as she continued to sob. _

_ Illya began to worry about April. She had been in the shower much longer than normal. He knocked on the door calling her name. When she didn't answer, he tried again. Again, there was no answer and he tried the doorknob. Finding it unlocked he pushed it open quickly walking to the shower. Illya pulled the curtain aside and found her sitting in the tub crying. _

_ He quickly shut off the water saying her name. For reasons he might never understand she seemed to ignore him. He reached for the towel, letting it fall open as he knelt down to wrap it around her shoulders. "Here," he said helping her to stand. _

_ April allowed Illya to wrap her in the towel and loosely wrap a second one around her hair. She stood unmoving, staring into space as he dried her off and helped her get dressed. She didn't say a word as he brushed her hair, only her tears fell silently down her face. Once done he led her to the couch wrapping his arms around her. She leaned into his embrace where she felt safe as he comforted her. "We'll get through this together," he vowed._

"Dad," Nico croaked upon opening his eye.

Illya looked up from the chart in his hands, relieved to see his son had regained consciousness. "Where am I?" Nico asked.

"You're in U.N.C.L.E. Medical. How are you feeling?"

"The same, I think. What's wrong with me?"

"What makes you think it's not the flu?"

He pulled the oxygen mask off and replied, "Because you wouldn't be looking at my chart if it was just the flu."

Illya gave him a rueful smile. His son knew him too well. "We're still running tests but whatever it is it presents with flu-like symptoms."

"That could be anything," he said.

"That's why we're running tests," Illya replied, placing the mask back in place. "Now stop being a doctor and let us take care of that. You just worry about fighting whatever this is."

"Where's Mom?"

"On the phone in Napoleon's office."

"Is Abby here?"

"You really like her, don't you?"

He shrugged, "She's cool and interesting."

"I'll get her," Illya smiled.

"Thanks."

Illya walked to the waiting area in search of his friends. "How is he?" Napoleon asked.

"He's awake, but we still don't know what's wrong," he sighed.

Abby jumped out of her chair, running to throw her arms around him. "He wants to see you," Illya said, returning her hug.

"He does?" she asked, pulling back from the hug.

"Yes," he smiled. "Go on, he's waiting for you," he said, nodding in the direction of his son. Abby gave him a big smile as she walked to find her new friend.

Illya watched his young friend walk to visit with his son. He briefly wondered if the young man and woman felt more towards each other than friendship. He mentally shook his head as he turned to walk to the chairs. Illya sank into the chair Abby had recently vacated.

Gibbs motioned for his team to give the men some privacy. Napoleon watched as the NCIS team walked out of Medical. "How are you holding up?"

"I just buried my daughter; my son is lying in a hospital bed with something we can't identify, possibly dying… Oh, just another typical day at the office."

Napoleon put a comforting hand on his friend's back, "We'll save Nico," he replied.

"I should go check on April, see how she's doing," Illya quietly said. Napoleon gave Illya's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Illya walked into Napoleon's office to find April sitting on the couch talking on the phone. He sat on the couch next to her, wrapping his arm around her. "We'll see you when this is all over, Mary," she said.

"Your sister," Illya stated. He was surprised April had called her.

She nodded in answer to his question. "I was thinking of having people over for Thanksgiving… I know - but it's something I'm going to need to do… I'll call you with the details…" April leaned into her husband's embrace as the conversation continued. "A lot has happened since the last time Illya and I saw you… When you come out for Thanksgiving you can stay at the house and we'll talk… Don't worry about it, we have plenty of room… Really, Illya won't mind, after all you're family… It's settled then. I'll call you once things settle down with the details… Miss you too… Bye." April snapped her phone closed and placed it on the end table.

"How much did you tell Mary?" Illya asked.

"Not much, just that Anya's dead," she said, wrapping her arms around Illya.

"You didn't call her before the funeral?"

"No, to be honest I forgot. There were so many people to call and as we haven't seen Mary since that night, I just now remembered. I'm glad though, if Romanov was watching us today he didn't see her and that's one less family member to worry about. How's Nico?"

"He's awake but we still don't know what's wrong with him."

"He's awake?" she asked, pulling back.

"Yes," he replied.

"Let's go, I want to see him," she said rising from the couch.

Illya rose to follow; noticing she had left her phone he said, "Don't forget your phone."

"Leave it; I've had enough of that phone today to last a lifetime. Whoever calls can wait until later."

"Oh, there's something you should know," Illya said behind his wife. "Our son asked to see Abby."

She turned to face him, arching an eyebrow. "Really? You don't think…"

Illya shrugged and motioned for his wife to continue walking. It was still too early and too chaotic for them to entertain such thoughts.

Napoleon walked into trauma 2 to find Abby sitting on the stool next to the bed. Nico's bed was propped up as he snoozed. "How's it going?" Napoleon asked, placing a comforting hand on Abby's back.

"He's holding up but I can tell he's getting weaker."

Napoleon sighed; he was afraid of that. "Come on, I don't know about you but I could use something to eat."

When she stood from the stool she accepted Napoleon's proffered arm. "I know this place that makes decent food at a good price," he said leading her out of Medical.

On the way to the commissary the pair passed April and Illya. "Where are you two going?" April asked.

"Napoleon is taking me out to lunch," Abby replied.

Illya quirked an eyebrow at his friend, "And where are you taking her?"

"The commissary," he winked.

Illya shook his head. "Still cheap I see," he teased.

"Come on, my treat," Napoleon said.

"We're on our way to see Nico," April said.

"He's sleeping," Abby replied.

April seemed to deflate at the news. "I'm sorry," Abby said, throwing her arms around April.

"That's okay," she murmured, returning the young woman's hug. "I've been through this enough times to know how hard it is for someone injured or sick to stay awake for long periods of time." She pulled back from the hug, leaving an arm draped around the young woman's back. "Let's go, the food is pretty good here."

After a surprisingly relaxing lunch the group made their way back to Medical to check on Nico. Illya walked on ahead wanting to speak with the medical team. "How is he?" Illya asked the nurse.

"There's been no change," Melissa replied.

Spotting Doctor Jones, Illya thanked the young woman and made his way to the doctor. "Bob," he called out.

Robert Jones turned at the sound of his name. "Illya, I was just going to come after you."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong but puzzling. I've called the hospital Nico works at and talked to his doctor. He wasn't sick and he didn't come in contact with anything at work. I can't figure out why he's sick now. If I didn't know any better I'd say he was poisoned."

"That's impossible; he's been surrounded by agents the entire time he's been here."

"Who picked him up from the airport?"

"He drove…." Illya had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Illya quickly walked to his son with Bob hot on his heels.

"Nico," Illya said.

Nico turned to face his father, "Dad, what's wrong?"

Illya stood next to the bed seemingly looming over his son, "Nico, did anything unusual happen on your trip here?"

"I can't think of anything. Then again I did take a nap on the plane."

"Damn," he said under his breath. "Did you have anything to drink?"

"No."

"What about the airport?"

"I just waited for my bag and car, then left." A thought came to him. "Someone nearly knocked me over."

"Really, where?"

"At the baggage claim after I picked up my bag. I was walking to the rental counter when some guy bumped into me, nearly knocking me down. A woman standing behind me kept me from losing my balance even more than I would have."

"What did she do?"

"She placed her hands on my back."

The doctors looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. "Did you feel a pinprick or anything?" Doctor Jones asked.

"Hard to say, it happened too fast."

"Where did she touch you?" Illya inquired.

"Around here," he said, pointing to his upper back.

Bob asked Nico to lean forward so he could examine his back. Illya saw Nico struggle to keep from falling over, so he sat on the bed and Nico rested his cheek on Illya's shoulder. Nico slipped his arms around his father's waist, hugging him as the doctors went about their business.

Bob untied the top of the gown, pushing it aside to take a good look at his back. Illya tried his best but found it hard to see from his vantage point. Instead he resigned himself to taking care of his son. When Nico coughed he instinctively placed a comforting hand on his head just as he often did when Nico was a baby. He smiled to himself when he realized what he had done.

"There," Bob said, pointing to a faint mark. "Looks like she stuck him all right. That has to be how he was poisoned." Doctor Jones tied the gown's tabs together before telling Nico he could lie back again.

April walked in while Nico was still leaning into his father's embrace as Illya kept a comforting hand on the back of his head. Napoleon was close behind, followed by Gibbs and Mark. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Hi, Mom," he croaked. "Tired," he replied.

Illya helped Nico to lean back as April sat on the bed, behind her husband.

"Well, well, well, isn't this cozy," came a voice the U.N.C.L.E. agents hadn't heard in years.

Illya reached for his special but was stopped by Napoleon. "What's she doing here?" he growled.

"Relax, she's my double agent."

"Napoleon, what are you talking about? What does Angelique have to gain by being a double agent for you?" April questioned.

"She's been working for U.N.C.L.E. for years."

"You didn't think Napoleon could actually keep you that safe all those years, did you?" she said. "No offense Napoleon, but without my help Romanov would have ferreted them out years ago."

"Napoleon wasn't the only one watching our backs," Illya said.  
Angelique shot Napoleon a questioning look. Napoleon shrugged and said, "You didn't honestly think I'd tell you everything, did you Angelique? I trust you but when it came to Illya and April, it was 'need to know.' And you didn't need to know."

Angelique was ready to change the subject. "He looks like you," she said.

"Thank you," Illya replied.

"So have you figured out what's wrong with him?" Napoleon asked.

"Unfortunately, we have. He was poisoned," Bob said.

Napoleon looked at his partner questioningly. "The best we can figure is it happened when he arrived," Illya replied. "We'll need the footage from the security cameras."

"We'll get that," Gibbs replied.

"Before you go, I have something that'll make things easier for you," Napoleon said.

Napoleon's assistant Maryse walked in and gave him a manila envelope. "Here you go Napoleon," she said.

Taking the packet, he thanked her and reached in. "This will help you get the tapes without any problems."

Gibbs took the proffered items and flipped the first one open. To his surprise he found an ID in his name for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. "Those will open more doors than your NCIS' IDwill. I talked to Jenny and made arrangements for you to be temporarily assigned to U.N.C.L.E. until this is over."

Anticipating Gibbs' question Nico said, "I flew into National."

Gibbs nodded as he turned on his heel to leave. The NCIS team had kept a close eye on the room Gibbs and the others were in. When they saw him walk out they stood up from the chairs. "Tony, Ziva, go to National and get all the security footage from the night Nico arrived."

"Why, boss?" Tony asked.

"Looks like he was poisoned. From what they've figured out it happened at the airport. Here," he said, passing out the IDs, "I've been told these will help."

The NCIS agents opened the ID cases and were just as surprised as Gibbs to find they were given a U.N.C.L.E. ID. "We've been temporarily reassigned to U.N.C.L.E. until this is over," Gibbs added at the questioning looks.

"I've changed," Angelique said.

"Why should we believe you?" Illya replied.

"Because I really have changed."

"You'll excuse me for not buying that," he remarked.

"I'm not the same person I was before." At Illya's disbelieving look she continued. "You weren't the only ones that were affected by Romanov. He's insane. He was the one that set the bomb under your car. He was ranting incoherently; I couldn't figure out what he was talking about. After you disappeared he took his anger out on anyone within the organization he could, including me. You have no idea what he did to me."

"That's enough," Napoleon said. This was senseless; he had debriefed Angelique when she switched sides and knew and understood why she switched teams. "She doesn't need to do this. I know where her loyalties are. Much like you when you first joined U.N.C.L.E."

"That was different; I didn't try to kill you."

"No, but you were a Russian agent working with an American on American soil. You weren't the most trusted person in our organization." Getting tired of what was quickly becoming an argument over her loyalties, Napoleon wrapped an arm around her waist and turned her around, "Come on, let's give them a little privacy."

Napoleon's actions did not go unnoticed by the other agents. April made a mental note to talk to him about it later. "Let it go, Illya," April said.

"I will not let it go. She can't be trusted."

"I seem to remember people saying the same thing about you when we were younger," April said.

"That was different," he replied stubbornly.

"How's that?" Mark chimed in.

"Dad, will you please drop it?"

Illya turned to face Nico, "I'm sorry son. You should rest," he said, placing a hand on Nico's leg. "We'll go," he said, patting the leg.

When he had stood from the bed, April slid forward and placed a kiss on Nico's forehead. "We'll stop by later," she murmured.

The trio walked out to find Napoleon standing outside the room, glaring at them. "I'm not going to apologize," Illya stubbornly said.

"You need to rein in that attitude of yours," Napoleon replied.

Before Illya had a chance to speak April stood between the men. "Boys! Will you please stop? You're giving me a headache."

"I'm sorry, April," Illya quietly replied.

Napoleon closed his eyes, taking a deep cleansing breath. "Why don't you two take some time off? I've made a few internal apartments available for us."

"Thank you," April said.

"6 B has been set aside for you. Mark, 6 D is yours."

"Thanks, mate."

April walked into the apartment heading straight for the bed. Illya paused a moment to lock the door, not wanting to be disturbed. April sank on to the bed burying her head in her hands. The day was taking its toll on her; she couldn't wait for it to end. Illya sat down next to her, placing a comforting hand on her back. Too tired to keep her emotions in check any longer, she let herself go. Illya wrapped his arms around his wife as she wept.

Tony and Ziva walked through Ronald Reagan National Airport. They had been sent to retrieve the security tapes from the night of Nickolai's arrival. Tony wondered about the IDs they had been given. They had been told that the U.N.C.L.E. IDs would get them further then their own NCIS IDs did. He wondered what was so special about U.N.C.L.E.

The agents walked into the security office. "Can I help you?" a man said, turning at the sound of the door.

"DiNozzo and David with the U.N.C.L.E," Tony said, flashing his new U.N.C.L.E. ID. "We need all your security footage from this Tuesday."

The head of security eyed the U.N.C.L.E. agents closely wondering just why they'd need the tapes. He hadn't been told of any terrorist plots. "Why do you need them?"

"Someone that arrived that night was poisoned. We need to find out who poisoned them," Ziva replied

"You think it happened here?"

"We know it happened at the baggage claim. We just don't know who did it," she said.

The head of security mulled over what he had just been told; he hated hearing about things like this. "Okay, give me five minutes and I'll have them ready."

Tony and Ziva returned to U.N.C.L.E. HQ with the tapes in hand a short while later. They were instructed to report directly to Napoleon's office. "How'd it go?" he asked the young agents as they walked in.

"No problems," Tony replied, handing the tapes to Napoleon.

"Good, why don't you two go home? This will take time to go through. We'll call you when we're ready."

The NCIS agents nodded as they turned to leave. The walk through the building was quiet; the events of the past week were beginning to weigh on them. "I can't imagine what Ducky's going through," Tony quietly remarked.

"I can," Ziva said, barely audibly, causing Tony to strain to hear her.

"What did you say?"

"I said 'I can'," she said a bit louder.

"You lost a kid?"

"No, but I did lose a brother."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Ziva eyed him suspiciously; she wasn't sure what to make of the offer. She wasn't sure she wanted to talk to him about it. What would he think of her if he knew the truth about Ari? "I'm serious," he said.

She thought it over a moment - maybe it was about time she could tell a friend. "Okay," she replied. "Let's go to my place."

Later at Ziva's apartment the partners sat on the couch. The ride to her apartment had been quiet. "When I said I can imagine what Ducky's going through I should have said I know what Nico's going through. I had a brother that died. Well he didn't just die; I killed him."

"What? Why would you kill your own brother?"

"He was Ari."

Tony was stunned; he didn't know what to say. "Ari was your brother?"

"Half brother actually, we have the same father. I had to kill him to stop him." Tears began to sting her eyes. "He was going to kill Gibbs."

Tony quickly overcame his shock. He wrapped his arm around Ziva. "It's okay," he murmured. She leaned into his embrace, allowing herself to finally grieve for her brother.

April massaged her temples; her head was beginning to throb. "Headache?" Illya gently asked. She nodded in response. "Here, lay down," he said, easing over on the bed. Once April was better situated on the bed he placed his fingers on her temples and gently began to massage them.

April closed her eyes allowing her husband's ministrations to ease the pain in her head. "You always did take good care of me."

Illya smiled. "I like taking care of you. Besides, you deserve it." He continued his ministrations a minute longer before asking, "How's your head?"

"Better," she purred. She relaxed, enjoying the feel of her husband's massage a while longer. Knowing he would continue his care, she placed a hand on his and said, "Join me."

Illya smiled at the invitation, stopping his massage. He let his fingers linger a moment longer before laying down beside his wife. April curled up beside him, finding the feel of his gun against her body oddly comforting. Illya began to remove his gun but she placed a hand on his, stopping him. "Leave it."

He looked at her questioningly. "You'll be more comfortable without it there."

"Oddly enough I find it comforting."

"You," he teased. "You used to hate it. In fact you couldn't get me out of my holster fast enough."

April smiled at her husband and placed a kiss on his lips. "Behave," she said, resting her head on his chest. Illya wrapped his arms around her as she settled in. "Promise me something, Ilyusha."

"Anything."

"You'll be careful when we go after Romanov."

"Always."

"I mean it. I can't lose you too."

"Don't worry Aprel'. I'll have the best friends a man could ask for by my side."

Several hours later the group gathered in a dark room watching images displayed on the plasma screen which hung on the wall. "You'd think the airport would timestamp their security footage," the technician Irvine growled. "Here," he said, pulling up the footage from Nico's arrival.

The agents watched as Nico walked through the nearly empty airport making his way to the baggage claim. They watched as he turned to leave for the car rental counter when someone bumped into him. "There," Illya said pointing to the screen.

"Do you recognize them?" Napoleon asked Angelique.

"It's hard to tell. Can you magnify and enhance the image?"

"Sure thing," Irvine mumbled. He moused, clicked, and within seconds, had enhanced the image on the plasma.

Angelique took a good long look at the images on the wall. "I don't know him, but her," she said, pointing a well-manicured finger at the female behind Nico. "I know her."

"Who is she?" Napoleon asked.

"Her name is Lindsey Martin. She wants to be like me."

"Do you know where to find her?" April asked.

"Oh, I know where to find her, all right" she replied determinedly.

"Just tell me and I'll pick her up," Gibbs said.

"No, I want the pleasure of bringing her in," Angelique said. "You should get going. I'll meet you in New Jersey." She turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.

"She's right, we should load up and head out," Napoleon said. "We'll meet in the garage in twenty minutes. I'll have transportation waiting to take us to National."

The NCIS agents nodded and made their way out of the room. Illya turned to Napoleon to talk when Napoleon added, "I'm having Nico transferred to New Jersey. He'll go by helicopter. They're prepping him for transport if you want to say good bye."

Abby turned at the sound of footsteps. "He's sleeping," she quietly said.

Illya walked up to her placing a hand on her shoulder. "We're leaving now," he said.

"They're getting ready to transfer Nico to the New Jersey office," April said, sitting on the edge of the bed. She ran her fingers through his hair, brushing it away from his face.

Nico's eyes fluttered open and he looked around the room. "Mom, Dad," he croaked.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" April asked.

"Tired," he sighed.

"We're going to leave soon."

"You are?" he said looking almost like a child whose parents are going out and leaving him with a babysitter for the first time.

"They're going to move you to the New Jersey office," Illya said.

"Are we going together?"

"No, but Doctor Jones is going with you."

"I'll come too," Abby offered.

"Abby, I had hoped you could stay and take care of the dogs," Illya said in response.

She looked at him, torn. She wanted to go with her friend and keep him company but she also wanted to stay and help with the dogs. "Please, there's no one else we can ask. They know you but not someone else."

"Okay, "she replied.

He squeezed her shoulder, thanking her. "I'll wait outside," she said, pointing towards the waiting area. As she stood to leave, Abby threw her arms around Illya giving him a hug. "Be careful," she whispered.

Illya returned her hug, momentarily feeling as if his daughter were still alive. When the hug ended he pushed the feelings deep down; now was not the time to reminisce about his daughter. Abby turned and threw her arms around April giving her a hug from behind. April smiled and placed a hand on the young woman's arms.

When Abby left the room, April turned back to her son and placed a kiss on his forehead. Illya walked to the bed placing a hand on his wife's back as she stood next to him.

"Dad, I've been thinking. When I'm better I want to restore a car."

"That sounds like fun," Illya replied.

"Actually I had fun when we restored the Morgan. I was thinking maybe you and I can work on it together."

"That sounds like a great idea," April said.

"Of course I'd work on it with you."

Nico smiled. "I was thinking, maybe we can redo one for Mom too."

"I'd love it," she replied.

"How does a Pinto sound?" he teased.

"Very funny, squirt," she retorted.

"Nah, a Triumph GT6 coupe is more her style," Illya interjected.

"I like the way you think, my sneaky Russian."

"It's settled then, you think about what car you want. We should get going," Illya said.

"We'll see you soon," she said.

"Bye Daddy."

Illya smiled at his son and ruffled his hair; Nico hadn't called him 'Daddy' since he was little. "Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Just keep fighting that poison."

"Okay," he said.

On the way out of Medical Illya stopped to speak with Abby. "Thank you for everything you've done," he said.

"It's no problem Illya. Just promise me you'll come back in one piece."

Illya chuckled. "Have you been talking to Napoleon or something?"

Abby smiled innocently and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Just be careful," she whispered before they rushed out.

The flight to New Jersey was filled with questions and planning for the evening. Gibbs and his team asked the U.N.C.L.E. agents about the building they were going to walk into. Napoleon provided the NCIS team a file with the layout of the building and grounds.

"So what's your plan for going in?" Gibbs asked.

"I'm going to make a nice big hole in the wall and walk through," Illya replied.

The NCIS agents looked at their friend unsure what to make of him. On the surface, he was kindly old Ducky. Underneath, he was Illya Kuryakin, U.N.C.L.E. agent, someone far different then the medical examiner they know.

"He likes to blow things up. It's a hobby of his," Mark chaffed. "We're all going to walk through it," Napoleon clarified. "You stay hidden outside; let us do the work. We'll have communications set up but I want you on radio silent. You'll be able to hear us though. No unnecessary chatter. I don't want you to break radio silence unless it's an emergency."

"Understood," Gibbs replied.

"As soon as we have the antidote we're leaving there," April said.

"Not before we make sure Romanov is dead," Illya said in a cold tone which sent shivers down the spines of the NCIS team.

"Of course," she replied.

Later at the New Jersey office the agents made their way to interrogation. There they were met by Angelique. "How'd it go?" Napoleon asked.

"Not too bad, although she isn't too happy to be here."

"Why don't we have a chat with our little bird?"

Angelique walked into the interrogation room followed by the four U.N.C.L.E. agents. "Traitor," Lindsey spat as they walked in.

Angelique tsked, "Haven't I told you several times not to trust Romanov?"

"He's a great man and you've betrayed him and Thrush."

"He's crazy."

"No he isn't, he's brilliant."

"You call a man that kills a young woman for no reason brilliant?" Napoleon asked.

"Or what about stabbing a pregnant woman in the abdomen causing her to bleed to death as her husband is forced to watch?" Illya asked.

"Vladimir Romanov tortures and kills people for fun," Mark said.

"You're lying," she said, desperate to hold on to her belief that the man she'd been working for wasn't the monster that they claimed he was.

Napoleon had had a feeling things might not go smoothly so he had made arrangements to have pictures of Anya's slaughtered U.N.C.L.E. team broadcast into the interrogation room. He signaled for the technician to proceed. The agents watched the young woman looking for any sign of change.

"Lies, all lies," she screamed.

Illya motioned for the agents to follow him. When the group was on the other side of the room Illya spoke in a low voice. "I think we should leave her alone with the video. Send someone from Section 6 to stay with her. She seems to have been brainwashed."

Napoleon nodded, "There's nothing more we can find out here. I'll call Section 6. Once they get here we'll leave for the warehouse."  
"Don't worry about waiting for them; I'll stay behind. I know more about Romanov and his methods than anyone else," Angelique said.

The others nodded in agreement and filed out the room. They made their way to the observation room, where Napoleon picked up the receiver of the phone and dialed the extension for Section 6. A few quiet spoken words later he replaced the receiver. "Let's go," he said turning to the group.

The combined U.N.C.L.E. and NCIS agents walked out of interrogation. As they strode through the halls to the garage it was a sight that agents of all ages enjoyed. The younger U.N.C.L.E. agents stood in awe seeing four legends walk past them; a sight they never thought they'd live to see.

At the vans the agents were met by Jared Cruise from Optech. He quickly explained the gear they were about to receive. "We'll be staying here, listening over the headsets and tracking your every movement via satellites. We have the blueprints for the warehouse and have retasked the satellites. I'll have an infrared satellite in the area. We'll be your eyes and ears while you're out there. If you need anything, just whistle."

As the agents listened to Jared, they hooked their communicators round their ears. The NCIS agents received night vision gear to help them see from their hiding places. "Once you're in place, check in," Jared said, turning to the NCIS team.

Napoleon turned to the NCIS agents and said, "We'll give you a ten minute head start to get in position."

"Got it," they said in unison. The agents climbed into their van. Once the doors closed Jenkins threw the van into gear and took off.

"I've sent EMS to the warehouse area. They're waiting five minutes away in case we need them," Napoleon said.

"Good," April replied, worried for her husband. He had a habit of getting beaten, shot at and tortured more than the rest of them. She prayed tonight would be different; that they would all walk out on their own two feet.

Illya placed a hand on April's, wanting her to wait until the others settled into the van. When they were alone he pulled her close and kissed her. When the kiss ended he quietly declared, "I love you" in Russian

"I love you too," she replied, looking at him, memorizing each and every detail of his face. Deep down she feared something bad was going to happen to him.

They climbed into the back seat of the van and settled in. April grabbed Illya's hand and held on for dear life.

The ride to the warehouse was quiet. "Gibbs reporting in," the group heard over the communicators. The rest of the team checked in from their respective hiding places. Once everyone checked in, Illya gave his wife's hand a reassuring squeeze. Not another word was spoken for the rest of the ride.

The dark van came to a stop down the street from the warehouse. The agents exited the van and walked to the back of it where they loaded their pockets with extra clips, after which Illya grabbed the backpack loaded with explosives.

Once they were ready to go the agents advanced to the warehouse with purpose in their step. Napoleon and April stood back as Mark and Illya walked to the building. Napoleon and April kept a close eye on their partners as Illya worked at strategically placing the explosives along the wall. Napoleon noted how his partner worked with precision to set the charges. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear Illya had never stopped planting bombs in the past thirty years.

When finished, the agents stood back at a safe distance and waited. Within moments a large rectangle appeared in the wall. With guns drawn, the agents left the backpack behind and stalked forward, dust and smoke still floating around as they walked through the wall. "Where's the welcome committee?" Napoleon asked as they continued on.

"Napoleon Solo, Illya Kuryakin, April Dancer and Mark Slate." A voice spoke from all around.

"Now that you've taken attendance, why don't you make this easy on yourself and come out so we can shoot you?" Illya said into the air.

"I see that attitude of yours hasn't changed," the voice said. "You know, I must say I was surprised to find you had spawned. All those years you were in hiding and now I know why. She was a lovely girl, such a shame to kill her."

The NCIS agents listened from their hiding posts; the change in topic had begun to make them uncomfortable. Gibbs clenched his jaw; Romanov was baiting them.

"She looked like you, April," Romanov continued. "So brave too, and feisty. You no doubt taught her to defend herself. Too bad you didn't tell her what I looked like."

Illya glared at the voice; he wasn't going to let Romanov win. It took every ounce of his control to keep quiet. He let out a low guttural growl in response.

Tired of listening to the taunts, Napoleon interjected, "Give it up, Romanov, you're not walking out of here alive this time."

"Speaking of walking, I see you've managed to regain use of that leg." Napoleon ignored the jibe as they continued to walk around looking for their target. "No matter, next time I won't be so sloppy."

"Um boss, I've lost the feed for the warehouse. You're flying blind until I can reestablish the feed," Jared said over the headsets.

As the agents walked into a large open room containing barrels and crates piled throughout, the air exploded with bullets. They dove towards the barrels along the closest wall seeking cover. "Damn," Napoleon said under his breath. "I knew this was too easy."


	6. Chapter 6

The agents returned fire, smiling in satisfaction when their bullets hit their targets. The gunfire ended quickly and the U.N.C.L.E. agents cautiously stood from their hiding spots and looked around.

"Good help is so hard to find these days," the voice sighed dramatically.

The agents split up, partners teaming up for the first time in over 30 years. Napoleon and Illya advanced towards the east side of the building; April and Mark the west. The search for Vladimir Romanov would take time. On a hunch, Napoleon and Illya made their way to the same room where Napoleon and Michelle had been held captive many years ago. They were greeted by a television set showing Anya's final hours.

The men stood transfixed and watched for what seemed like hours. The video started from the very beginning showing Anya shortly after she had been tied up to a table; her top ripped open. Vladimir approached her with a soldering iron and he began to write on her. To their horror the sound was on and her screams sent chills down their spines.

The horrifying screams terrified the NCIS agents outside. They had no idea what was going on inside; after the images they had seen of the team assigned to guard the Kuryakin family, they didn't want to know. Her screams were enough to give them nightmares for days to come.

Illya watched as his daughter tried to remain brave but ultimately broke down and called out for him. Mark and April froze when they heard the voice of the woman screaming. "Illya, where are you?" April asked.

When there was no response, Jared spoke up to give directions. Fortunately he had managed to restore the warehouse feed. The partners looked at each other and ran in the direction of the room.

"Illya," April said, running up behind him. He didn't answer. "Napoleon," she tried. Again she was met by silence. Worried, April placed a hand on her husband's shoulder hoping the feel of her touch would rouse him of his current state. That didn't work - it was as if the television held them in some kind of trance.

The television screen exploded into sparks and Illya and Napoleon reacted for the first time. They spun around looking for the danger and were relieved to find Mark and April.

"Let's go," Illya said, not giving his wife a chance to ask any questions about what they had seen.

"I've got eyes on you again. Upstairs to your right," Jared provided over the headsets.

The agents ran in the direction they were told. "Romanov should be about forty feet from you."

The agents spotted a room up ahead and Napoleon silently motioned for the others to go on. Illya stood outside the door and signaled to Mark to cover him. He opened the door, gun primed and ready to fire. The room was empty, but upon closer inspection they found an office towards the back of the room. The agents stealthily walked to the inner room.

"The only other living being in that building is right in front of you, lady and gentlemen."

Illya nodded to the others and they took deep cleansing breaths, steeling themselves for what they were about to do. _This was it_, he thought. Mark kicked the door open and the agents stormed in the room. "Where is it?" Illya demanded.

"Where's what?" Vladimir Romanov replied innocently.

"You know damn well what, Vladimir," Illya said.

"Oh, you mean this," he said holding up a vile of yellow liquid. "Actually this is the poison. I have the antidote of course, but I won't tell you where it is. Interesting thing about this poison, when my scientists developed it they also worked on a name for it. I told them not to worry about it; I was going to simply call it 'death'. After all that's what happens to the person affected by it," he shrugged.

"Where's the antidote?" Illya asked in a menacing tone.

"You'll never find out," he smugly replied.

Illya stalked forward, about to grab Romanov when his body jerked unnaturally. Mark turned around to find a young man with a gun aimed at Illya. Silencer, he noted, squeezing off a couple quick shots. The young man went down in a crumpled heap. "Illya," April said as she ran to her husband trying to assess the damage the bullets had done.

"Lung… cracked rib…" Illya gasped as he tried to assess his wounds.

Not taking any chances, Napoleon shot Romanov before he had a chance to do anything else. The entire shootout ended in a matter of seconds but to April time had slowed down as her husband's blood covered her hands.

"I've sent in the EMTs," Jared said.

The NCIS team ran in, guns drawn, making their way through the warehouse being careful not to run into any other Thrush agents in hiding.

Mark bent down next to the limp figure of the young man. "Well, this explains things," he said fingering the jacket he wore. "Cooling suit. That's why Jared hasn't been picking up people on his infrared scanner and why he thought no one was here but Romanov."

"I wonder how he knew?" Jared thoughtfully said.

Napoleon busied himself looking for more vials like the one Romanov had held. That one now lay broken on the floor, its contents splattered. He found a cooler in the back of the room and opened it up. Inside he found vials containing the yellow liquid and vials containing pale green liquid. He grabbed the unit the vials were being held in and made his way back to the group.

The NCIS team ran in. "How is he?" Gibbs asked, kneeling next to April.

"Not good," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

The wail of a siren could be heard in the distance as the ambulance quickly approached. "Hang on, Duck," Gibbs quietly said.

April and Mark did their best to keep Illya's wounds covered with the parts of Illya's shirt they could cut off. They hadn't brought any first aid supplies with them, thinking they could get by like the old days. "Where are they, Jared?" Napoleon asked. When there was no answer he said, "Jared, where are the EMTs?"

"Sorry, sir, I was giving them your location, they're on their way up."

Tony ran out to the hall to help guide the paramedics to the group. A short while later he reappeared with the paramedics hot on his heels. There was a flurry of activity as one replaced the blood-soaked patches of shirt with gauze pads while the other set up an IV. "He won't make it back to HQ, we need to take him to Pascack Valley Hospital," one of the EMTs said. The other nodded in agreement and they repacked their gear. When done they placed him on the gurney, quickly immobilizing him, before running out the door with April in tow.

"Ziva," Napoleon said, attracting her attention. "Take this and go with them."

"Which one's the antidote?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "Jared, have Doctor Jones and Nico meet them there."

"Already ahead of you, boss."

Napoleon gave him the slightest hint of a smile. "Remind me again why you're not in the New York office?" Once the others were gone Napoleon turned to Mark and said, "Do it." He nodded and ran out the room. "Everyone out."

"What are you going to do?" Gibbs asked.

"Of the four of us, Illya was the best at explosives. I'd do it myself but…" he said indicating his leg.

Gibbs nodded in understanding and ordered the rest of his team to evacuate. Napoleon scanned the room looking for a video player of some sort. He was searching for the video Romanov had broadcast downstairs. It was something he'd keep hidden from Illya and April but as a parent he wanted to know if there were any parts on there he could show them to give them closure. Finding what he was looking for he opened the drawer and found a DVD labeled Anya Kuryakin. He placed it in the nearby protective sleeve and slid it into his suit pocket.

Napoleon moved as fast as he could but the evening's activities had taken a toll on his leg. The usually manageable pain was quickly becoming worse. He had forgotten how bad the pain would get when he overextended the leg as he had tonight. He paused at the top of the stairs and looked down. The thought of descending them was daunting in his current state. He steeled himself to press on; he'd have plenty of time to rest later.

Napoleon slowly descended the stairs, being careful not to fall. Finally reaching the bottom he leaned against the wall a moment catching his breath. It was about now that he wished he had a couple of painkillers in his pockets. Seeing Mark move about setting the explosives, he pushed himself off the wall and limped forward.

Outside the drivers had pulled the vans closer to the warehouse and the men stood in front of them waiting for Mark. He quickly appeared, running surprisingly fast for a man of his age. The bombs exploded, igniting the building in flames before he reached the others. "I see you took lessons from Illya," Napoleon remarked.

"I thought it was fitting," Mark shrugged as he stood next to Napoleon. The two men from U.N.C.L.E. watched as the building went up in flames finally ending the nightmare that they had lived for over thirty years.

Gibbs silently motioned for his team to allow the men some privacy. They climbed into their van and set out for the hospital to check on their friend. Napoleon and Mark watched the flames dance in the night sky until they heard the faint call of sirens in the distance. Deciding it was best to leave, they climbed into their van and left for the hospital.

Doctor Jones was waiting for the group in the ER. He had flown to the hospital in the U.N.C.L.E. helicopter along with Nico. "Which is which?" he asked as Ziva handed him the vials.

"I don't know."

"Damn. I hope we have enough time to figure it out." He paused momentarily when he saw Illya being wheeled past them. Seeing that his former patient was in good hands, Bob turned and ran down the hall weaving his way through the people and equipment along the way.

Gibbs, Tony and McGee ran into the ER as Illya was being wheeled out. "How is he?" Gibbs asked April.

"They're taking him up to surgery," she said.

"Come on, let's go wait upstairs," he quietly suggested, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Later, Napoleon and Mark walked into the surgical waiting room. Mark sank into the chair next to her. "Any word?" he asked.

Not trusting her voice she shook her head "no". Gibbs stood from his seat on the other side of April, allowing Napoleon to sit down. "He'll pull through; he's too stubborn to let Thrush kill him," Mark said.

April gave her old partner a small smile. "If he was younger, he wouldn't have let those bullets stop him from killing Romanov with his bare hands," she replied.

"Any word on the kid?" Napoleon asked, rubbing her back comfortingly.

April leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She placed her head in her hands, losing ground with her battle over her emotions. "No," she quietly replied. "I can't lose them," she said in a shaky voice.

"You won't, luv," Mark replied, rubbing her back comfortingly. "They'll pull through this."

Doctor Jones walked into the waiting room looking for the agents. He quietly called for Napoleon, motioning for him to join him on the other side of the room. Napoleon nodded and whispered something to April before straining to stand up. Finally on his feet, he slowly limped across the room, leaning heavily on his cane.

Robert Jones reached into his pocket and pulled out an orange plastic pill bottle. "Here," he said placing the bottle in the older man's hand. "Take these, they'll help."

"What are they?" Napoleon asked, looking at the label.

"Vicodin and I don't want to hear any arguments."

"Was there something you wanted to tell me?" Napoleon said, annoyed.

Bob took a deep breath. _Once a field agent, always a field agent, _he thought. "Angelique did a little digging and found notes on the poison. The yellow liquid is the poison and the green the antidote."

"Are you sure?"

"We ran several tests to be sure. I've started him on the antidote."

"Good. Any word on Illya?"

"He's in rough shape but he's in good hands. Fortunately the bullets didn't hit his spine or do too much damage. But they did enough and he isn't young anymore."

The men glanced across the room to where Mark and April sat. They watched as April leaned into her partner. Mark wrapped his arms around her as she wept. Gibbs walked up to the men followed by his team. The team had brought coffee for the U.N.C.L.E. agents to help with the wait. "How's it going?" he quietly asked, glancing at April.

"We've given Nico the antidote; he was very weak though. It might take awhile before the drug takes effect. According to the notes it'll take a few treatments before he recovers. Illya is still in surgery, but there was no major damage. He's fortunate the bullets didn't hit his spine or major organs."

Gibbs was relieved to hear the news about his friend. The sight of April crying had worried him when they walked in though. He now concluded her tears were not tears of grief but a stress relief.

Tony held out a cup for Napoleon; he graciously accepted the hot drink. Bob took the pill bottle he had given Napoleon earlier and shook out two pills. He held his hand out for the head of U.N.C.L.E. Napoleon leaned the cane against the wall before reaching for the pills. He tossed them into his mouth dry-swallowing them, before taking a sip of coffee.

Gibbs silently excused himself and walked to the other side of the room to sit next to April. After placing his cup on the end table, he placed a hand on April's back and quietly said her name. She took a moment to wipe her tears away and regain control of her strained emotions. Finally ready, she turned to face Gibbs. He gave her a comforting smile as he held out a cup of coffee for her.

"Thank you," she murmured, taking the proffered cup.

"Has anyone talked to you about Illya and Nico yet?" he asked.

"No."

"Well there's good news. Doctor Jones said they've started Nico on the antidote and there was no major damage with Illya," he said.

Mark gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "That's great," he said. "Why don't you go see Nico? Take a break from sitting here. We'll come for you when the doctors are through with Illya."

"He's right," Gibbs said. "You should go see your son."

April looked across the room as she thought it over. The change of scenery would do her good, even though she would be exchanging one hospital room for another. "Bob," she called out to the retreating back of the U.N.C.L.E. physician.

He stopped and turned at the sound of his name. "I'll join you," she said; walking toward him taking her cup of coffee with her.

"I think that would be a great idea," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

Napoleon limped to the chairs on the other side of the room, grateful the painkillers were beginning to take effect. Ziva had brought a cup of coffee for Mark and the agents sat in the room with their thoughts, drinking coffee as they waited for Illya's surgeon to talk to them.

"What's the prognosis, Bob?" April asked, running her fingers through Nico's hair.

"It's good. The notes Angelique brought have been a great help. We know exactly how the poison and antidote work. Before you know it, he'll be up and around."

"Good."

"I'm going to look in on Illya; I'll be back later to check Nico."

April was left sitting with her son; the only sounds in the room were those of the machines keeping her company. "Mom," Nico said.

Smiling, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"About the same," he shrugged. "How's Dad?"

"He's okay. That's all I'm going to say and that's all you need to know. You need to focus on resting and letting the antidote work. Let me worry about your father." Nico tried to sit up in bed but April placed a hand on his shoulder. "I mean it, Nickolai," she said, softening her tone. "Right now you are a patient, not a doctor."

"Will you at least tell me how long he's been in surgery?"

"I don't know," she replied, fatigue creeping into her voice. "I haven't looked at a clock in hours."

Mark walked into the room hoping to silently gain his partner's attention. Sensing her partner's presence, April looked over her shoulder toward the door. Mark motioned for her to come to him. She kissed her son goodnight, promising to visit him the next day.

"Illya's out of surgery," Mark quietly said as April walked to him.

"How is he?"

"Stable and doing well." Relief flooded over her at the news. Mark led her back to the waiting group of agents.

April and Mark walked into the waiting room to find Illya's surgeon talking to Napoleon and Gibbs. "How'd it go?" she asked.

Doctor Landry turned at the question. "Better than we could have hoped," she replied. "The bullets didn't hit anything major but did their fair share of damage. He has a cracked rib and a collapsed lung. He'll be in a lot of pain."

"And he'll be unruly until he recovers," April replied, rolling her eyes.

"I take it this has happened before?"

"Be thankful you've never had to live with the man."

Doctor Landry chuckled. "Since this is nothing new, why don't I take you to see him?" she said, motioning for April to follow her.

As the women walked to Recovery, Doctor Landry asked, "I'm curious; I noticed a lot of old scars on your husband."

"We are what you would call spies. Those scars are old battle wounds, a reminder of how dangerous that life is."

Doctor Landry nodded her understanding. "Well here he is," she said, pointing to Illya.

April thanked the doctor before turning her attention to her husband. She walked around the gurney to see his face. Pillows were being used to prop him on his uninjured side. She glanced at his back to find most of it covered by a bandage. The chest tube was securely in place, Illya's arm draped away from it so as not to disturb it by accident. April sat on the stool next to the gurney and brushed her fingers along his cheek. She ran her fingers through his hair, moving it away from his face.

Doctor Landry had stayed close by, reviewing her patient's chart. She checked the time as a yawn over took her. She shook her head; it was going to be a long night, she thought. The young woman glanced over to her patient and found his wife leaning close. "Mrs. Kuryakin," she ventured, placing a hand on April's shoulder. "Why don't you get some rest? He won't wake for hours."

April reluctantly agreed; rest would do her good. She placed a kiss on Illya's temple, whispering a promise to visit the next day.

April walked into the U.N.C.L.E. apartment Napoleon had given her and Illya. She locked the door before making her way to the bedroom. She collapsed on the bed briefly, thinking of taking a bath. A good long hot soak would do her weary body good. Succumbing to a yawn, she glanced at the clock on the nightstand and cringed. No wonder she was so tired, it we well after midnight. The bath would wait, she thought, right now she needed sleep. She forced herself to get off the bed and change into pajamas.

Gibbs lay awake in bed staring at the ceiling unable to shut his mind off. Anya's screams haunted him more than he realized. Every time he shut his eyes he heard her scream. Visions of his own daughter mixed with the screams of the other woman. He needed to do something but what? Working on the boat was out of the question. Read? He didn't bring any books. Not wanting to wander around headquarters he ultimately decided to watch television. He reached for the remote on the nightstand and turned on the TV.

Napoleon sat on his bed, tired to the bone. He rubbed his leg, thankful for the Vicodin Doctor Jones had given him earlier. Angelique stood in the doorway to the bathroom watching Napoleon. She pushed herself off the doorframe and walked to the bed, climbing on behind Napoleon. "Want to talk about it?" she asked, massaging his shoulders.

He shook his head 'no'. "I just want to sleep." He relaxed as she kneaded his tired muscles. "Thank you," he murmured.

"You're welcome."

Napoleon hung his head, trying not to fall asleep where he sat. He placed his hands on hers, ceasing the massage. He lay down, pulling the blanket over him. Angelique waited until Napoleon was settled before lying down next to him.

Tony and Ziva sat on the couch in Tony's apartment. Neither could sleep yet neither could talk about it. They sat on either side of the couch in silence.

Mark fell into a restless sleep, tossing and turning.

McGee couldn't sleep, his imagination running overtime putting images to the screams he heard. He fired up his laptop and went online hoping to lose himself on the World Wide Web.

The next day April woke in the late morning. She lay in bed wishing the apartment was aboveground. _Looking out a window would_ _be nice_, she thought. As much as she wanted to spend the day in bed, she needed to get up and face the day. Her son and husband were waiting for her.

Later April wandered the halls of U.N.C.L.E. headquarters looking for Mark or Napoleon. She was surprised when she found Angelique in the commissary. Deciding now might be a good time to talk to the double agent she poured herself a cup of coffee and grabbed a bagel and cream cheese and made her way to the table Angelique sat at. "Mind if I join you?" April asked.

Angelique looked up from her paper surprised to find April Dancer standing in front of her. She motioned for her to sit. April placed her food down before sitting. "Have you been to the hospital yet?" Angelique asked as April sat.

April shook her head 'no' as she took a sip of her coffee. "I slept in this morning. I'll go after I've eaten. I wanted to say thank you for all you've done."

Angelique wasn't sure what to think at first. "You're welcome," she finally said.

"If you don't mind my asking, what made you decide to join U.N.C.L.E.?"

Angelique regarded the question a moment. Of all the people in Nico's room last night, she might be the only one that would understand. "There were several things, but the last straw was when Vladimir thought he could rape me."

"I'm sorry," April sincerely replied. "I too was raped." Angelique regarded the woman. Though the Fantastic Four's exploits were well known, she hadn't heard anything about April being raped. "It happened when Illya and I were dating. Mark and I were on a mission. I was captured and gang-raped."

"I'm sorry," Angelique replied. "Was it Thrush?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. Wanting to change the subject, she asked, "What is going on between you and Napoleon?"

"It's just sex," Angelique replied casually.

April nearly choked on her coffee at the answer. She couldn't believe Napoleon would get involved in a relationship with someone that was just there for the sex. "Before you ask, he made it clear years ago that that's all it was." April arched an eyebrow. "He's never said it, but I know he still loves her."

"Doesn't it bother you that he's been using you like that all these years?"

Angelique shrugged. "Not really. After all we've all used someone in our line of business."

"Yes, but that was different. That was for work. He's just using you for sex, never thinking of you until he wants to get laid. Tell me something, where did you stay last night?"

"With Napoleon."

"Was he warm to your presence or was he cold?"

"He was receptive of the massage I gave him."

"But after that?"

"He stopped the massage and went to bed."

"See? As much as last night took out of us, Napoleon Solo would not be cold to a woman he cared about on any level. He'd be much more receptive to her."

"I asked if he wanted to talk about it, and he said 'no'."

"That just proves my point. Don't you want someone that cares about you?"

"I suppose," she reluctantly admitted.

"Then why are you letting Napoleon use you like that? You deserve better than that. We all do." The women sat in amicable silence, understanding each other better.

Later that day April strolled into Illya's room and smiled at the conversation she heard.

"You are not fine, you were shot, had a collapsed lung and had surgery," Bob said.

"Nothing that hasn't happened before," Illya shrugged.

Bob sighed in frustration; the man was insufferable. April couldn't help but laugh as she walked up to the pair. "What are you laughing at?" her husband asked.

"Oh nothing," she said, smiling as she sat down on the edge of his bed. "How are the patients?" she asked Bob.

"Nico's doing well, however this one," he said, pointing to Illya, "is the same as always. Can't even admit he's in pain."

"You know how stubborn he is just as well as I do," April remarked.

"HE is sitting right here," Illya retorted, placing a hand on April's.

Playfully ignoring the patient, both Bob and April continued their conversations. "Once Nico's strong enough to move, I'll have both of them transferred to DC."

"Thank you," April replied.

Deciding to give the couple some privacy he said "I'll leave you two be," as he walked out the room.

"So, how _are_ you feeling love?" April asked, leaning back on the bed. "I want an honest answer, Illya."

Illya sighed, "It does hurt," he said. "But the important things are that Nico is safe and Vladimir Romanov is dead. How are you?"

"I'll be better once you're home and healthy," she said, running her fingers through his hair.

"Have you seen Nico yet?"

"No, I wanted to see you first. You were asleep when I left last night," she teased.

"I'm sorry dear; I was very tired."

She smiled at her husband, leaning down to place a kiss on his lips. "I was worried I'd lose both of you," she said quietly.

Illya wrapped his arm around her, moving slowly and carefully, trying not to make any false moves. As time passed, it began to rain outside. The couple listened to the sounds of rain, relaxing for the first time in days. Things were going to be all right.

In the days that followed Nico was moved into the same room as Illya and both father and son became stronger with each day. Soon they were transferred to Reston Hospital Center. Napoleon insisted on a guard to play it safe despite protests by all.

April was eagerly greeted by the dogs when she arrived home. "Where's Abby?" she asked them. Ducky scampered to her and woofed, wanting her attention. April smiled at the corgi. _The bow was a cute touch_, she thought. She reached for the black ribbon, tugging at the tails. With the bow loosened, she pulled the attached note free and unrolled it.

_April,_

_Had to go to work, dogs are walked and fed. Will be back for dinner and we'll talk. I've missed you guys and am glad you're back home. _

_ Abby_

April smiled; she really did like the young woman. She briefly wondered if Abby and her son would become more than friends. She pushed herself off the floor and made her way to the kitchen eager for some home-cooked food for a change.

Later that day Abby arrived as promised. She used her key to let herself in and was immediately greeted by the dogs. "Hey guys," she said, kneeling down to pet the dogs. "Did you miss me?"

"Yes, they did," April said, walking into the foyer.

Abby jumped to her feet and threw her arms around April giving her a big hug. "How are you?"

April smiled as she returned the hug. "Doing much better now that the boys are stronger and closer to home." She pulled back from the hug staying close to Abby. "Would you like to spend the night?"

"Yes. I have tomorrow off so you and I are going to stay up and talk as long as you want."

"Good, I was hoping you'd stay. It'll be nice to talk to someone not associated with a hospital for a change," she said, giving Abby a small smile.

"Do I smell pizza?"

April gave her a big smile. "Yes you do. I was thinking of a slumber party. It's just us girls, we can sit in the lounge, start a fire and talk."

"That sounds like fun," Abby said, smiling.

"Come on, let's check on the pizza."

Later that night the ladies were dressed in their pajamas, surrounded by blankets and pillows and sitting in front of the fireplace, the fire crackling.

"You know, Anya and I used to do this."

"I'm sorry."

Ducky plopped down next to April, resting his head on her lap. April smiled sadly as she ran her hand along his head. "She told her friends about it and they thought it would be fun to do that for her bachelorette party. Anya loved it. She was like her father in that way."

Abby smiled. "So tell me, what was Illya like when he was younger?"

"Well, let's see… ice prince on the outside, all mush inside. Only those close to him knew what he was really like."

"So who's Ducky?"

"You mean personality-wise?" Abby nodded in response. "Ducky is Illya deep down, only he's more talkative than Illya."

"So you've heard about the stories?"

April smiled; she'd heard plenty while the older man was in the hospital. His friends had asked her about Illya much like Abby was doing. "Yes, your friends told me all about them. Those stories are more a diversionary tactic of my cunning husband than anything else. He tells them to keep people from asking too many questions about him or his past."

"Sneaky."

"Isn't it?" April winked.

"You know, Ducky could be pretty bloodthirsty at times."

"I'm sure it was when he wished he could take care of things _a la_ Illya but couldn't."

"Probably. Like when Ari shot Gerald. I heard Ducky tell Gibbs he wanted to weigh Ari's liver."

April smirked. "Yes, that was definitely because he couldn't take care of Ari as Illya." Suddenly remembering something April changed subject. "Before I forget, I know it's early but I want all of you to come over for Christmas."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I was going to do it for Thanksgiving, but with the boys in the hospital I'm going to wait. I'd rather have Illya and Nico home so they can be with family and friends."

"Of course I'll come. I'll bring something too, if you want. Just tell me what you want me to bring," she replied excitedly

April chuckled, "I'll let you know."

"Oh, and Ziva's an excellent cook."

"So I've heard."

"I'm sure she'll bring something. This way you won't have to worry about having enough to feed everyone."

"Actually my sister's going to visit; I'm sure she'll help me cook. And knowing Illya, if he's feeling well enough, he'll help too."

"So tell me, how did you two meet?"

"Well, we met through work of course, but it wasn't until a mission where we played a married couple that things changed."

"Really? Tell me more."

April smiled, _yes, just like Anya_, she thought. The pair talked well into the night.

In the days that followed, April split her time between the hospital and home. While still in New Jersey, Napoleon had seen to it Nico's and April's rental cars had been returned. While in the DC office for the mission, he personally stopped by the Mallard home to see how Abby was doing and to tell her what happened on their mission. He spotted April's phone in his office. He dropped it off at the house before leaving for New York.

Now he walked through the halls of Reston Hospital on his way to break the news of Mrs. Waverly's passing to his friends. He stopped at NCIS headquarters to inform Ducky's friends first, knowing they'd want to attend the funeral. He paused just outside the door to the room the Kuryakin men shared, needing a moment to gather his thoughts. Finally ready to enter, he pushed the door open and walked through.

"Napoleon," April warmly greeted him as she helped Illya into his jacket. "What brings you here?"

"It's not good news, I'm afraid." The couple looked at each other, not sure they wanted to know. "Where's Nico?" Napoleon inquired, wanting him to be present when he told his news.

"Right here, Uncle Napoleon," the young man said, exiting the bathroom dressed and ready to go home.

"What's wrong?" April asked.

"Mrs. Waverly passed away."

"Oh no," April gasped.

Illya's heart sank, she had become like a mother to him. "When?"

"Couple days ago. Died in her sleep."

"I guess it was just a matter of time," Illya replied.

"She's being buried in Boston today, next to Mr. Waverly. I have the plane standing by. We'll fly down for the funeral and be back when it's over."

"When are we leaving?" April asked.

"As soon as they've been given their walking papers. I have a car waiting to take us to the airport. I also have a wheelchair for Nico; I don't want a repeat of Anya's funeral."

"Thank you," April replied.

"I'll go see if I can find the doctor for those release forms," Napoleon said, turning to exit the room.

Illya sank onto the bed; over the years the lines between him and Mrs. Waverly seemed to blur. She had become the mother he lost as a child. April sat beside him, wrapping an arm around him. "I'm sorry sweetheart," she murmured.

Nico sank down next to his mother. The kids had never met their biological grandparents. After Mrs. Waverly moved in with Illya she had stepped in as a surrogate grandmother. Nico wrapped his arms around his mother, resting his head on April's shoulder.

Napoleon returned pushing a wheelchair followed by a nurse pushing another wheelchair; Nico and Illya's doctor pulling up the rear. "Ready whenever you are," Napoleon quietly replied.

Illya took a deep breath, steeling himself to bury another loved one. "Let's go," he said, rising from the bed.

At the airport Illya stepped onto the plane to find his friends from NCIS already seated. He threw Napoleon a questioning look as April squeezed his hand. "I, ah, stopped by the office to let them know before I picked you up."

"Thank you," he quietly replied. He slowly made his way to the empty seats in front. His friends were gracious enough to sit in the back to make it easier for the Kuryakin men.

Once everyone was seated the plane took off. The flight to Boston was quick and quiet. Before they knew it, they arrived at Logan. The plane taxied to a private strip where two U.N.C.L.E. limousines were waiting for the group. Mark stood beside the first limo, waiting for his friends. April threw her arms around him, giving him a warm hug. "We seem to be making it a habit of meeting at funerals," he quietly said, returning her hug.

April smiled sadly at the comment. "We'll have to change that then. Our place, Christmas," she said, pulling back from the hug.

"Already booked my flight."

She slid into the limo, making room for Illya and Nico.

Illya and Nico were able to slide into the limousine with minimal help from Mark. The NCIS agents piled into the second limo as the others filled the first car.

At the cemetery Mark pulled the wheelchair out of the trunk and unfolded it. Nico sat down, secretly grateful he wouldn't have to stand. Since being hospitalized he had thought about Anya's funeral. Part of him wished he'd stayed in the limo yet at the same time he was glad he insisted on going to the gravesite. Had he stayed in the limo he might not have made it to the hospital as soon as he did.

The U.N.C.L.E. agents were surprised to see Maude Waverly at the funeral. She left the network for the quiet life shortly after April and Illya married. Napoleon kept tabs on her over the years, making sure she was all right.

"Maude, it's good to see you," April said.

"April, Illya, you're looking good."

"All things considering," Illya replied.

"I heard what happened; I'm so sorry about your daughter."

"Thank you," Illya murmured. "Oh, this is our son, Nickolai. Nico, this is Maude; she's Mrs. Waverly's niece."

Nico stood from the chair to greet the older woman. "It's nice to meet you," he said extending his hand.

"Just like you," she commented to Illya. Turning back to Nico she said, "It's nice to meet you too. How are you feeling?"

"Better," he replied, as he slowly made his way back down to the chair.

Maude turned to April and Illya and said, "How long will you be staying?"  
"We're just here for the funeral. Illya and Nico were released from the hospital earlier and Illya's friends need to get back to work," April replied.

Maude nodded in understanding. "Well then, why don't we get started?"

After the funeral the agents said their goodbyes as they made their way to the limos. "Maude, if you're ever in DC, give us a call," April said giving her a hug.

"I will," she said, returning the hug.

That night the Kuryakin family spent the night alone for the first time in weeks. April made dinner while Illya kept her company. Nico stretched out on the couch; the day had taken its toll on him. "Are you all right? You've been unusually quiet," April said.

"Things will be different without Mother around."

April walked away from the stove and wrapped her arms around Illya. "I know how much she meant to you," she murmured. Illya simply wrapped his arms around his wife. Suddenly remembering something her husband said after she was gang-raped nearly forty years ago, April quietly said, "We'll get through this together."


	7. Chapter 7

The weeks that followed saw the Kuryakin men slowly regaining their strength. Illya and Nico had both taken a medical leave of absence from work. April's sister paid the family a visit at Thanksgiving where she met Nico for the first time. She stayed the weekend and the two sisters spent many hours getting caught up. April played the DVD Abby and Nico had made of Anya for her funeral. Mary watched on misty-eyed for the loss of a niece she never met.

The day before her sister arrived for the holiday, April had been dusting the living room. She spotted a picture of Anya and Mrs. Waverly taken after Mrs. Waverly moved in with Illya. _Illya must have pulled the picture out_, she thought. She picked up the elegant frame and slowly ran the dust cloth along the glass. It was then that she allowed her tears to freely fall for the first time. April was finally able to grieve for her daughter.

Ducky had grown attached to her during her time at home. He followed her all over the house, even while she cleaned. When she began to cry he wandered over to her trying to get her attention. When she didn't respond, he ran in search of Illya, knowing he'd know what to do.

Illya was in the kitchen preparing to make dessert for Thanksgiving when Ducky scampered in. He sized up the human wondering what the best way would be to gain his attention. Deciding what to do, he gently grabbed hold of Illya's pant's cuff and tugged on it.

"What is it boy, where's April?" he asked the dog once Ducky had successfully managed to gain Illya's attention. Ducky gave the older man his best puppy dog eyes, letting out a small whine. Illya became concerned, knowing the dog was never far from April. "Where is she?" he asked and Ducky ran to the living room with Illya close behind.

Illya walked in to find April sitting on the couch, the frame clutched in her hand, crying. He instantly knew what picture it was just by glancing at the frame itself. He had handpicked that frame for that picture. He sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around her, comforting her as she wept.

The next day April woke early and began to prepare Thanksgiving dinner. Illya woke a couple hours later and made his way down the stairs. He briefly paused outside Nico's room to check on him. A smile crept across his lips remembering all the times he had done the same thing when his son was little. He leaned against the doorframe watching Nico sleep.

April slid her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder. "Amazing how young he looks when he's sleeping isn't it?" she quietly asked. Illya smiled and nodded. "Reminds me of you." She planted a kiss on his cheek. "Come, love, I'll make breakfast," she quietly said.

Later that day the small family sat in the lounge relaxing in front of the television as they waited for their guest to arrive. Dinner stayed warm in the oven while dessert cooled in the refrigerator. It was just going to be the four of them; Mary's family would come for Christmas.

Mid-afternoon the doorbell rang. The dogs scurried to the door barking a warning at the visitor. "I'll get it," Illya offered as he stood from the couch.

Illya shuffled to the door still feeling some lingering pain from his ordeal. "Settle down children, it's all right," Illya said as he peered around the curtain. He smiled at the sight of his sister in-law, opening the door. "Mary, it's good to see you."

"Illya, it's good to see you too," she replied, walking through the door carrying her luggage. She placed her bag on the floor as Illya closed the door. "How are you feeling," she asked, giving him a hug.

"Better," he replied returning her hug. "How are you?"

"Oh, much better now that you're all safe."

"Mary," April said, greeting her sister.

"April," she replied, extracting herself from the hug. Mary threw her arms around her and the sisters hugged each other tightly.

When the hug finally ended they pulled apart wiping tears from their cheeks. "You look great," Mary said. "You both do."

"You look good too, you know," April replied. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Where's Nico?"

"In the lounge," April said, motioning behind her.

"Here, let me take your coat," Illya said.

"Oh yes, thank you," Mary replied, slipping out of the coat.

The dogs watched on curiously as Illya hung the coat of the stranger on the coat tree in the foyer. He glanced down, smiling at the quizzical looks, and said, "It's all right, she's family."

"He looks just like you," Mary said at the sight of her nephew.

Illya gave her a small smile. "Would you like something to drink?"

"A glass of water would be nice."

"I'll get that," April said, rising from her seat.

"That's okay, I'll get it," Illya replied, motioning for her to sit.

"So, how was the trip?" April asked.

"The trip was uneventful, but I couldn't wait for you to call back after Anya's funeral."

"I'm sorry, there was just so much going on. I couldn't think while the boys were in the hospital…"

"Don't apologize," Mary said, interrupting her sister. "You have nothing to apologize for. I can't imagine what it must have been like to go through what you did." Mary placed a hand on April's giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"The important thing is I'm here now and the boys are home safe and getting stronger."

"Slowly," Nico smiled.

Ducky waddled over to April and plopped down beside her, sizing up their visitor. The other dogs lounged in front of the fire settling in for the afternoon. Feeling eyes on her, Mary glanced down to find her furry visitor watching her. "Who's this little guy?" she asked.

April looked down and smiled. "This," she said, picking the corgi up, "is Ducky," she answered as he placed him on her lap. "He was Anya's. We brought him home the day Illya found her."

Mary smiled at the corgi, extending a hand for him to smell it. "He's very friendly," April said. "They all are really."

"Just watch out for Tyson," Nico added.

Mary turned to give her nephew a questioning look. "Why's that?"

"He bites," Illya replied walking back into the room. "Don't let that face fool you, he's a temperamental one."

"Just like you," April muttered.

Illya handed the glass to Mary as he walked to sit beside his wife. "What took you?" April asked.

"I checked on the food."

"Checked as in you looked at it, or ate it?"

"Why would you ask a question like that," he asked innocently.

"Because I know you too well," she quipped.

He gave her a small smile. "This time I didn't eat anything."

"Uh huh," she said in jest, not believing him.

"If you don't mind my asking, when were you planning on eating?" Mary asked.

"If I don't mind you asking… Since when are you so formal?" April teased. "We can eat whenever you want. Everything's ready."

"Well then, how does now sound?"

"Sounds good to me," Nico replied, grinning.

April rolled her eyes, _that boy and his stomach,_ she thought. "All right then, we're going to eat in the dining room."

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Mary said.

"All I have to do is pull the food out of the oven and bring it into the dining room," April shrugged.

"At least let me help you with that."

"All right."

"I'll show you to the kitchen," Nico said, rising from the couch.

"I'll be right there," April said as the pair walked out the room.

Ducky jumped off April's lap onto the couch. There he patiently waited until April stood to follow the others.

"So, were you really just looking at the food?" April asked, standing from the couch.

Illya stood from the couch, wrapping his arms around her waist. "There's one way to find out," he said, drawing her to him. April wrapped her arms around his neck as he gave her a long deep kiss enjoying the stolen moment.

When the kiss finally ended April ran her tongue along her lips. "Mmm. So you were telling the truth this time, Kuryakin. Next time I'm going to have to do a more thorough search."

"Promise?" he asked in a husky tone.

She gave him a wicked smile in response.

In the kitchen April and Mary worked at emptying the oven while Illya placed trivets on the dining room table. As the sisters carried the food to the other room April said, "Mary, I'm going to have everyone over for Christmas. I want you, Bruce and the kids to come."

"Are you sure you're up for a house full of people?"

"Yes. I wanted to do this for Thanksgiving but with Illya and Nico, I had to push it back. I've already told the others. Mark's coming; Napoleon will be here with the kids. Illya's friends from NCIS will do everything they can to come. I would love it if you came too."

"Well then, how can I refuse an offer like that?"

"Good. You can stay here too."

"Only if you have enough room. I don't want to put anyone out."

"We have plenty of time to work out the details."

The conversation was filled with stories of the Dancer sisters in the days before April joined U.N.C.L.E. The men enjoyed hearing the stories, Illya especially. He had spent very little time around April's family before the couple went into hiding. Due to the nature of their job, both April and Illya had made sacrifices when it came to spending time with her family. Illya often wished his parents were still alive to introduce them to April. Not having that, Illya spent hours telling his children all about his family when they were growing up. He wanted to be sure they knew what they were like.

After dinner the men shooed the ladies into the other room as they cleared the table. April used the time to give Mary a tour of the house. "You know," Mary said as they walked through the upstairs hall to her room, "This house is not what I'd have pictured you and Illya living in. It's more extravagant."

"I know what you mean; I guess this is the only good thing to come out of the Ducky façade. This house is the complete opposite of what Illya would normally buy. It's very Ducky. Here's your room," April said flipping the light switch on.

Mary plopped her bag on the bed and began to unpack. "How are you and Illya doing?"

"Why do you ask?"

Mary shrugged, "You've been through a lot. This kind of stress can strain even the best of marriages."

"We're good."

"You're not just saying that are you?"

"No."

"Good, I only ask because I'm worried about you."

"You can stop worrying; our marriage is as strong as ever. It'll be nice living under the same roof again on a regular basis."

"I'm sure you two have a lot of time to make up," Mary replied with a wicked grin. April merely grinned in reply.

Once she was unpacked, Mary and April made their way back downstairs. They wandered into the kitchen wondering how Illya and Nico were doing. "Illya, your house is beautiful."

"Thank you," he replied, placing a slice of pie on a dessert plate.

Once all desserts and coffee were doled out the small group made their way to the living room, where they settled in for the night getting caught up with each other.

The weeks that followed found the Kuryakin family preparing the house for Christmas. Even when the family was separated, Christmas still had managed to be a happy time. They were safe and, on rare occasions, were able to spend the holiday together as a family. Things were different this year. The losses and stress of the past few weeks weighed down on them. Little things like going out to find the perfect Christmas tree weren't the same.

One day April and Illya assigned themselves the mission of finding the right tree. Walking around the tree yard that darkened afternoon, they found they were just going through the motions. Deciding they needed to clear their heads, they went for a drive. Illya drove to DC hoping the change of scenery would help.

He parked along a side street and the couple unfolded themselves from the Morgan. They aimlessly walked the streets near the mall, side-by-side, saying very little. The couple paused at a coffee shop, deciding to stop in for a minute. April found a table near the window as Illya walked to the counter to place their order. Out of habit, he scanned the crowd as he waited for their drinks. The sounds of Bing Crosby dreaming of a white Christmas floated around the room. When the drinks were ready he thanked the clerk and wove his way to the table his wife had chosen.

April thanked her husband as he placed her drink in front of her. "Thank you," she murmured, sparing him a glance.

He sat down across from her placing his cup on the table. He watched as she took a sip from her cup. She briefly glanced at him as she placed the cup back on the saucer before turning to stare out of the window again.

Illya watched her closely, she was withdrawing. He remembered the last time that happened. During her recovery from the rape she had rough patches; times she'd withdraw from all. He, Mark and Napoleon worried about her during those times. On one such occasion, they decided a break from the city would do her good.

_**Cape Cod, MD 1966**_

_Napoleon rented a beach house and the friends spent two weeks there. Deciding to make it a family vacation, Napoleon brought his wife and children along. The time was much needed not only for April but for the men as well. They had all been working hard at taking down Thrush since April was back on active duty. _

_ Before the end of the first week April was her old self. The combination of fresh air and lazy days helped to melt the stress away and bring her out of her funk. One day Illya disappeared into town on a secret mission. He returned a few short hours later, successful. Despite their best efforts, Illya refused to tell his friends where he'd gone. That night before dinner Illya went for a walk along the beach with April. Not wanting to be disturbed by their friends, Illya led her several yards down the beach. Illya stopped walking and turned to face April, never letting go of her hand. He looked deep into her soul as he spoke from the heart. He couldn't think of the last time he was this nervous. _

_ He got down on one knee, digging the small box out of his pocket on his way down. He opened the box, holding it in both hands and asked her to marry him. With tears stinging her eyes she threw her arms around him and said 'yes'. Relief flooded him as he held her, never letting go of the velvet box. _

_ Later the couple walked back to the house hand-in-hand. Mark and Napoleon were lounging on the deck enjoying a drink, waiting for the couple to return. Mark nudged Napoleon when he spotted their wayward partners. That night the friends celebrated the engagement with dinner and drinks at the house. Two days later the group packed up and went back to their regular lives. _

The music penetrated Illya's thoughts as he watched his wife. Judy Garland sang of faithful friends gathering near to them once more. He placed a hand on April's, giving it a gentle squeeze. She turned away from the window, looking at him. She wiped an errant tear from her cheek with her free hand. After nearly forty years of marriage, he didn't need to ask his wife what the tear was for, he knew. The couple finished their drinks in companionable silence.

The fresh air added to April's refreshed mood. She urged her husband to go for a walk before making their way back to the tree lot. With renewed vigor, they walked through the tree lot looking for their perfect tree. Once the tree was found and paid for, it was wrapped and strapped to the car.

The day of the gathering the house was full of warmth. Old friends and family gathered together, some meeting for the first time. The dogs were on their best behavior, even Tyson. Ducky found it difficult to follow April around so he contented himself with staying by the fireplace where it was warm. Outside was a picturesque winter wonderland.

The NCIS team had arrived as promised, Abby and Ziva both contributing to the food by bringing a dish. Illya took care of the desserts, providing a variety of sweets from around the world. Mary and April were busy with everything else. When the doorbell rang, Nico offered to open it. He pushed the curtain aside to see who it was before opening the door. Finding Napoleon and two others outside, he quickly opened the door, giving the older man a big smile. "Uncle Napoleon, it's good to see you," he said, standing aside to allow the guests to walk in.

"Nico, you're looking much better than the last time I saw you," he replied, stepping over the threshold. A young man and woman followed him into the house; the man carried shopping bags full of presents. "Nico, these are my kids, Jason and Shannon. Kids, this is Nico."

The kids exchanged hellos as Nico closed the door. "Where are Illya and April?" Napoleon asked as he shed his coat and scarf.

"Last time I saw them they were in the kitchen," he replied, taking Napoleon's coat. The twins followed their father's example and quickly shed their outerwear and shoes. With his arms loaded with coats and scarves, Nico disappeared up the stairs while Napoleon led his children on a tour of the house, stopping just long enough to make introductions along the way.

Their first stop was the lounge where Jason deposited the presents beside the tree. From there they made their way to the kitchen. "It never fails, you want to find Illya, just look for the food," Napoleon joked, walking into the kitchen.

Illya looked up at the sound of his old friend's voice. "Napoleon, who did you blackmail to get in here?" he shot back.

The friends smiled at the playful banter. April gave Napoleon a warm hug, "I'm so glad you came," she said.

"It's good to be here," he replied, returning her hug.

When the hug ended, April pulled back, taking a good look at Napoleon's shadows. "My babies are all grown up," she teased. April pulled the twins into a hug one at a time.

As Illya moved in to hug the twins, April pulled Napoleon aside and said, "She's beautiful, and he isn't so bad looking either."

Napoleon smiled. "It feels good. Being free and being with the kids again."

"It does feel good," April confirmed, giving her old friend a smile. "Did you bring Angelique?"

"Ah, no. We're not together anymore. You were right, I was using her."

"I'm sorry," April quietly replied.

"Don't be, I'm the one that was out of line. Michelle was the only woman I loved; when Romanov killed her I couldn't bring myself to move on."

"I know," April murmured placing a comforting hand on his back.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm getting there. Some days are worse than others."

Napoleon wrapped his arms around April, pulling her into a hug. "If you ever want to talk…"

"Thank you," she murmured.

When the hug ended the pair pulled apart. April said, "So Solo, are you ever going to retire?"

"And what would I do if I retired?" he teased.

"Oh I don't know, spend time with your children for starters," she teased back.

"I'm working on it. I have a lot of paperwork to deal with. Some of it will depend on what you and Illya decide to do. Have you given any more thought into what I asked?"

"I don't know Napoleon; I've been out of the business for years. I don't know what I can teach the new recruits."

"You could teach them about undercover work. Think about it, you successfully lived in hiding for over thirty years. You and Illya both."

"How successful were we if our daughter was killed and our son poisoned, also nearly dying?"

"Why don't you and Illya talk about it? I think you both could be a great resource at Survival School. The basics of intelligence work will always be the same. The only thing that changes is technology. We could work around that. You could study up on what you'd need, or we could bring someone in to tag team with you."

"What are you trying to talk my wife into now?" Illya asked, walking up to the pair.

"Teaching at Survival School," she replied.

"Ah, yes, he asked me to teach."

"Well, will you?"

"Napoleon," he sighed, "let's talk about this later. Right now is not the time to talk about this."

"He's right, let's not talk shop. I just want to spend a night with my family," April added.

"Dad, can you just relax for one night?" Shannon said, placing a hand on his arm.

"I think you should listen to your daughter," Nico said, walking up to the group.

"Sounds like you're outnumbered," April smirked.

"Okay fine, you win," Napoleon replied in defeat.

"Kids, make yourselves at home. Our house is your house," April said.

"Thank you," Shannon replied.

"Have you met the dogs yet?" Nico asked.

"No, but I've heard about them," Shannon said.

"Come on. Let's see if we can find them."

"Ducky might be hiding out upstairs," April called after the retreating backs of the children.

"He's still having problems?" Napoleon asked.

"I think he likes to keep me company more than anything. This might be a bit too much too soon though."

Napoleon nodded in agreement.

Later that night the group lingered in the lounge relaxing and enjoying each others' company. Most of the NCIS agents had left having other places to be. April watched as Nico and Abby chatted with Jason and Shannon. Mark slid next to April, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Penny for your thoughts, luv," he said.

She smiled sadly and replied, "I was thinking about the children. Imagining all of them growing up together."

"Not just the kids, but us as well. I too wish things were different," he replied sadly.

On the other side of the room Gibbs, Illya and Napoleon sat on the couch, three old war horses telling tall tales. Gibbs enjoyed hearing about another side of his old friend. The more he'd gotten to know Illya, the more he could picture the stories he was hearing.

"So Illya, have you decided what you're going to do? Now that you're not in hiding anymore, are you going to go back to U.N.C.L.E. or NCIS?" Gibbs asked.

Illya wrapped the question around his brain a moment. To be honest he hadn't given it much, if any, thought at all. He was too busy recuperating from his wounds and enjoying the relaxed time with his wife and son. Feeling eyes on him, he looked at his partner to find Napoleon anxiously waiting the answer. He glanced at his wife across the room; she glanced at him and gave him an encouraging smile. Taking a deep breath he said, "I'm going to retire from U.N.C.L.E. Romanov's dead, there's no reason for me to return to U.N.C.L.E. I've sacrificed so much, my family is safe now."

"And NCIS?" Napoleon asked.

"He's going to need something to keep him from getting bored," April teased, walking over to the group.

Napoleon slid over, making room for her on the couch. April sat in between the partners, wrapping her arm around her husband.

"So who's going be working for NCIS? Ducky or Illya?" Abby asked joining the group.

"To make things easier I'm going to remain Ducky."

"You'll always be Illya to us," Mark said, joining the group.

As the agents regrouped the rest of the party joined them, bringing chairs, pillows, ottomans, or even sitting on the floor. The party, it seemed, had started winding down finally. With the smaller group, the family, Nico decided it was time to give his father his present. "Dad," he began.

The group turned to face the young blond eager to hear what he was going to say. "I've been thinking about this for a long time, and I want to change my name. Now that we're free I think this is a great time."

"Change it to what?" April asked, wondering where her son was going with this.

"Well, my last name actually. I'm going to change it to Kuryakin."

It was at that announcement that Napoleon decided to hand out his presents. "Shannon, honey, could you give me the presents we brought?"

"Yes, Dad," she replied, moving to unearth the presents. She placed the presents on the floor in front of him, placing Nico's present on top. She didn't know what was in it, but she had a feeling her father wanted to give it to him now.

"Thank you," he said as she sat on the floor next to him. "Nico here, this is for you," he said holding the present out for the young man.

Nico looked at the present oddly; he didn't know why the older man suddenly decided to pass out presents. "Just open it," Napoleon gently instructed. Deciding to listen, he tore the paper off. He opened the box and stared at the contents. He looked up at Napoleon confused. "What is this?" he asked.

"Your birth certificate," the older man replied.

"I can see it's a birth certificate, but I don't get it. The name on here…."

"That is your real name," Napoleon replied.

"When you were born we wanted to give you your father's last name but because we were in hiding we knew we couldn't. So officially, you were Nick Thompson. Unofficially, you were Nickolai Illyich Kuryakin," April said.

"Technically, it's the other way around," Napoleon said. "Mr. Waverly told me about filing Anya's birth certificate and burying it deeply. I did the same thing with Nico's."

Nico looked at his parents, surprised. "Did you know about this?" he asked.

"No," Illya replied, after tackling his emotions.

"Thank you," Nico said, turning to Napoleon.

"You're welcome," he replied. Napoleon rummaged through the pile in front of him for a particular package. Finding it, he handed the package to April.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Open it," he prompted with a smile.

She glanced at her husband for any sign of knowledge of the contents. He shrugged in response to her unasked question. She tore off the paper and opened the box. April held her breath as she cradled the frame in her hands. Illya wrapped his arm around her and placed his right hand on the gift. Inside the frame were Anya's birth certificate on one side and two pictures. One was Anya's newborn picture and the one below it was of the proud parents holding their newborn baby girl.

April and Illya stared at the pictures. The young couple staring back brought back a flood of memories. Tears stung their eyes, and they were speechless. "Napoleon," April quietly began.

"Thank Shannon, it was her idea," he replied.

April reached down and pulled the young woman into a hug. "Thank you," she murmured.

"You're welcome, Aunt April," she replied, returning the hug.

"What is it?" Nico asked his father. Illya passed the frame to his son. Nico stared at the picture; it was hard to believe his parents were so young, and happy. He couldn't think of a time when he'd seen or heard them fight. They were happy despite having to live in hiding and then live apart for so many years. But that picture of them with Anya was different. He wondered what it would have been like if they hadn't had to live in hiding.

Nico was jolted from his thoughts when Abby wrapped her arm around his shoulders, hearing her say, "That's from us."

Once again April and Illya were the spotlight as they opened another present. Illya fished through the large box, pulled out tissue paper. Finding the prize, he held the DVDs in his hands staring at them. "We thought it was about time the old videos were put on DVD," he heard Nico say.

"Thank you," Illya said, barely audibly.

April pulled Nico into a hug, holding on tight. "You're welcome, Mom," he murmured.

When the hug ended, April wrapped her arms around Abby.

"You guys are so welcome," she replied, returning the hug.

"Well since you've started why don't we open the rest of the presents," Mary said.

"Sounds great to me," Nico quipped.

"I second that," Shannon smirked, winking at Nico.

"No doubt about it, they would have been trouble if they grew up together," Mark teased. The U.N.C.L.E. agents laughed, they were enjoying their renewed freedom.

Later that night Mark, Napoleon and the twins had left with promises to come back for Christmas dinner the next day. Nico and Abby had fallen asleep on the couches with Tyson close by. Mary, Bruce and their children were snuggled in their beds. April and Illya wearily climbed the stairs making their way to the master bedroom. "That was fun," April said.

"Yes it was. Thank you for planning the party," Illya said, taking her hand in his. "It was nice seeing everyone."

"Yes it was," she smiled. "I needed it."

"We all did."

As the couple stepped into the master suite, April closed and locked the door. "So tell me, just who am I going to bed with? Illya or Ducky," she asked in a husky voice.

Illya smiled. "You tell me."


End file.
